


Destination Wedding

by astrangerenters



Category: Arashi (Band), Japanese Actor RPF
Genre: Awkwardness, Car Sex, F/M, Kitchen Sex, Light BDSM, Oral Sex, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-22
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:47:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 41,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangerenters/pseuds/astrangerenters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The universe aligns, and she's there, and you'd be a fool to doubt yourself." A single guy, a single lady, and a week in Okinawa for a friend's wedding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As Kitagawa Keiko rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though the cat had left a fresh hairball next to her shoes during the night, Keiko wasn't letting it bother her. Because the subway car was plastered from end to end with the bright red posters, the luscious blonde locks of Rola-san, and the newly designed shampoo bottle. "Tsubaki," the copy read, "for today's woman."

Of course, Keiko reminded herself, she hadn't been responsible for any of the creative. The Shiseido account was a big one, and she was only a strategic planner on the hair care brands, but she had been there months ago in the meetings with the clients. She had been the one to say "But what about Rola-san? She's everywhere lately, isn't she?" And here her idea was, covering the subway. All over television in both 15 and 30 second spots. On the store shelves. The new bottle design and a fully realized relaunch of the venerable brand. With a little help from Kitagawa Keiko.

There was a bounce to her step as she got off at Shimbashi and headed for work. There was a meeting at 9:30, and she imagined they'd already be getting started on the next campaign. Everyone on the floor had been whispering about the new conditioner set to arrive on shelves at the end of the year. How would they be able to top the Rola campaign? How could Keiko contribute?

She swiped her ID and waited in the long queue for the elevators, finally making it up to the floor where she saw other members of the hair care team gathered around Toma-kun's computer to watch Rola giggle before turning around, the spot moving to slow motion as her beautiful hair swept around. Keiko leaned over Toma's cubicle wall, sighing in happiness at their success.

It was then that the gathered five or so people turned to look at her. Before she could get out a "good morning" to any of them, Toma was already out of his seat with a frightful look in his eyes. Oh no, Keiko thought. The hairball had been a bad omen!

"Kitagawa-kun," he said briskly, getting her by the elbow and pulling her away while the others stayed whispering at his desk. Rola's hair kept flying around as the commercial repeated itself.

"Ikuta-kun," she said back suspiciously as he led her down a few more rows of cubes to her own place. Panic was setting in. Toma had been the senior planner on Shiseido hair care ever since Keiko had started working here at Dentsu. There was no one on the team she trusted half as much as him, and she'd never seen this look on his face before.

He pulled out her chair and none too gracefully pushed her down into it. Today was supposed to be a celebration! The new campaign rollout after so many weeks of late nights back and forth with the clients, with the creative team. There was no box sitting on her desk, so she wasn't fired or anything, but things were not looking good.

"You can tell me," she said. There was no point in beating around the bush about it. Toma had big news for her. Although she maintained as placid an expression as she could manage, she found herself clutching the shoulder straps of her purse for courage.

"There's going to be a change today," Toma said, frustration all too apparent. "They're taking you."

Keiko felt her stomach twist. "Taking me? Who's taking me?" She'd been on Shiseido for almost four years. With so many clients, teams were getting shuffled all the time, but hair care had been home for so long that Keiko had taken it for granted.

"A new client," Toma replied, crossing his arms and leaning against her cube wall. "I'm only telling you now because you'll need to keep a straight face when they bring you in later."

But wasn't a new client an exciting opportunity? A chance to learn and grow? That was usually something Keiko valued, something she always noted in her yearly reviews. "I want to continuously learn," she wrote all the time, and only now had they taken her seriously. A million things were running through her mind. Seeing Rola's face all over Tokyo. Toma and the hair care team, the strong working relationship they'd built. And, she thought greedily, four years of free shampoo.

"What do you mean by keep a straight face?" she asked him. Really, how bad could it be? 

He leaned forward, whispering. "Have you ever heard of a brand called Puppy Play?"

\--

As Sakurai Sho rode the subway to work that morning, it seemed like it would be a great day. Even though he'd burnt the scrambled eggs he'd tried to make for breakfast, Sho wasn't letting it bother him. It had been his New Year's resolution, cooking himself breakfast every morning. For too long he'd relied on the convenience store around the corner or the overpriced and overindulgent cafe on the ground floor of his office building. Having just turned 31, he wasn't getting any younger, so he had to take better care of himself.

The headquarters of Okada & Morita took up floors six and seven of the fourteen story StimInc building. It was kind of embarrassing to tell people he worked in the StimInc building here in Shimbashi. Because, of course, StimInc was short for Stimulation Incorporated, the gaming company that owned the building and the top five floors. They made dating simulation games, each subsequent release filthier and filthier. "No," Sho told people, "I work for Okada & Morita. We just have office space there. No, I don't play those games."

As part of the lease agreement, every employee of Okada & Morita was entitled to a 30% discount on each new StimInc game, but they definitely weren't the type of gaming experiences Sho was looking for. If anything, Sho liked puzzle games, games that challenged his mind. As he entered the building and saw the newest ad banners suspended from the vaulted lobby ceiling, he was pretty damn sure that a game called Oppai Revolution was not going to challenge his mind.

With the less than satisfying eggs in his stomach, it was a real challenge to keep walking past the cafe. Because he'd slowed down the slightest bit, he missed the elevator, clutching his briefcase in frustration. He checked his watch. He still had time, but he had to play bad cop in the morning meeting. 

Okada Junichi had been a high school friend, and Sho had never expected to one day be working for him. Okada and his partner Morita were carpenters by trade, but the housing bubble had long ago burst and they'd turned their woodworking prowess into a business. "Yes," Sho explained to anyone who asked, "we make rocking chairs."

Well, Sho didn't make any rocking chairs. Or cribs. Or dining tables. Or any other fancy custom furniture. He just balanced the books. And right now the books were telling Sho to tell Okada to slow down. Which was never an easy thing to say to a boss, much less a friend who cared more about building things than thinking about how much the special wood imported from Canada might cost.

Sho shut his eyes as he waited in the elevator banks, repeating over and over the speech he planned to give. He had alternatives, cheaper sources the company could turn to, ways to diversify the offerings in their catalog so they might charge a premium. Little things that might keep the company afloat.

But his precious rehearsal was interrupted then by the sound of sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. Sho opened his eyes, desperately trying to hide his immediate wariness. Because it was none other than the man who made the StimInc building possible.

Ninomiya Kazunari, clad in his trademark hoodie, jeans, and ancient, stinky Chuck Taylors, had started Stimulation Incorporated in his mom's basement a decade earlier. Friends 2 Start, the "dating simulation where you're friends first" had been a surprising hit with girl gamers, and Ninomiya had used the capital from Friends 2 Start to create a dating sim empire, though most of the releases of late (Oppai Revolution included) were appealing to a far different audience.

Despite being a CEO and a multimillionaire, Ninomiya wasn't a snob. He strolled in to work when he felt like it, wore a t-shirt to the initial public offering of StimInc on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and befriended everyone who stepped through the StimInc doors. That included Sakurai Sho.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened, and Ninomiya and his squeaky shoes followed the be-suited Sakurai Sho inside. He was on the short and skinny side, something the hoodie and tattered jeans emphasized all the more, and he was munching messily on an Egg McMuffin. Sho took work seriously. He had an important job to do here. He couldn't just sit around designing porn all day. So while he didn't dislike Ninomiya Kazunari, he certainly didn't understand people like him.

"Sho-chan! Glad I caught you!" Ninomiya, who insisted on being called Nino, said with an irritating spray of egg and muffin onto Sho's suit. He was overly familiar with most people he met, Sho included.

"Good morning, Ninomiya-san," he replied politely. He had too much work to do today, but Nino had caught him. And because he was StimInc and StimInc was the livelihood of the building, Sho would have to do whatever Nino wanted. Most people gave in gladly because Nino probably had the money to buy a Lamborghini for everyone he liked. Sho, however, knew better.

In the past few years, Nino had asked Sho for several "favors," most of which resulted in Sho's voice appearing in a dating sim for no pay and no credit. Sho's boss, a pushover if Sho had ever met one, said doing Nino favors kept the rent cheap so Sho had little choice if he wanted Okada & Morita to thrive. So now there was a character in both Oppai Quest and Oppai Quest 2: Treasure Chests named "Buddy." Buddy was the guy the main character stole women from. Basically, a loser who couldn't keep a girlfriend. 

According to Nino, Sho's voice was "ideally suited" for Buddy, and why hadn't Sho gone to voice acting school? 

Nino swiped his card and pressed the button for the top floor, balling up his McMuffin wrapper. "Sho-chan, have lunch with me today. Got a favor to ask you."

Before Sho could decline and mention the leftover curry rice sitting in Tupperware inside his briefcase, the elevator dinged on the seventh floor.

"Meet me at noon!" Nino said with a smile and a wave as the doors closed.

\--

Three hours later, Keiko was attending a lunch meeting with the brand new "Puppy Play" account team. Lunch was catered in by the President and founder of Puppy Play, Yoshitaka Yuriko-san, who at age 24 was both two years younger than Keiko and a ridiculously wealthy woman.

Keiko's initial impression was that Puppy Play was probably a retail chain for doggie toys and cute accessories. Even if the allure of free shampoo had been snatched from her grasp after four years of loyal service, she could at least get used to doggie toys. It would be a fun account. Unfortunately, Toma had revealed to her, Puppy Play was not a brand for four-legged friends.

Yoshitaka-san, otherwise Mistress Yuri, was a professional dominatrix. A quick glance at her website had led Keiko to slam down her laptop lid with a squeak of surprise. Toma had explained that after several years at the top of the Tokyo BDSM scene, Yuriko-san had decided to diversify her offerings. She'd invested millions into her new "Puppy Play" line of submission "tools and toys," and she'd chosen Dentsu to create her very first ad campaign.

Of course, the adult novelty market did not have the reach that a Shiseido shampoo had. The creative would mostly consist of banner ads on other adult websites and simple creative in print magazines. Keiko and just a handful of people had been pulled off their accounts seemingly at random to get started on the Puppy Play launch, and she was already dreading her new assignment.

It wasn't that Keiko was naive or anything, not really. She was in advertising after all, and half the ads in the market had sexual undertones. She just took a lot of pride in her job, that's all. Had it only been a few short hours ago that she'd been admiring the Rola ads decorating the subway car during her morning commute? She could tell people "yes, I work on that account!" But now as she sat with her chopsticks frozen over the sushi boat on the buffet table, she realized that there was no way she'd be able to tell people what she did for a living.

Because at that moment, Yuriko-san had cued up her PowerPoint presentation, and the very first slide was a picture of a naked man on all fours wearing a dog collar. His eyes had been tastefully covered with a black bar. His genitals, however, had not.

Yuriko wore a form-fitting but thoroughly professional business suit with a knee-length skirt. In her four-inch stiletto heels, she stood confidently with her laser pointer as she addressed the group. If Keiko had seen her on the street, she'd have never guessed that the woman with the cute, clever face and pursed lips got paid to dominate people. But she had seen the website, Mistress Yuri in leather brandishing a riding crop. "You've been a bad boy!" the text bubble next to her had said.

She slipped a tendril of her long black hair behind her ear and smiled at everyone. "Puppy Play!" Yuriko-san announced with the gleeful cheer of someone way younger than 24. She gestured at the dog collar on the naked man with the laser pointer. "My brand new line of gear for the pets in your lives."

She started clicking through slides as Keiko slowly added a few pieces of sushi to her plate and went back to her seat. Keiko was getting quite the education in a lifestyle choice she'd never pursued. Yuriko had created a line of pet collars as well as leashes and doggie-ear headbands. The dominatrix didn't so much as bat an eye as she explained that the target audience for her line was committed couples engaged in a Dominant human/submissive human pet-style relationship or roleplay.

"I'm getting married soon myself," Yuriko-san said, glowing with happiness. "So developing a brand for couples to enjoy together was a no-brainer!"

"Married? You?" one of the men in the room spluttered out. He was someone Keiko didn't know, but she winced at his exclamation.

Yuriko merely tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Sumida-san, you're saying someone in my line of work can't also be in a happy, monogamous relationship?"

Sumida-san turned bright red, and Keiko couldn't bear to watch. He'd be off the account by the end of the day, she was sure of it. The last thing you did in a first client meeting was insult them to their face, intentionally or not.

"Anyhow," Yuriko said, displaying a level of self-confidence that Keiko found incredible, clicking to her next slide. "Let me show you the collars with the spikes. For those who like to dress their pets in a bit of a punk fashion."

Couple or no, Keiko couldn't imagine herself being another person's...pet. She spent maybe a nanosecond envisioning herself in a dog collar and immediately dismissed the idea. Definitely not her kind of fun.

Then again, she thought, as Yuriko clicked to another explicit slide of a naked woman being walked on a leash by a man in broad daylight, what was her kind of fun anymore? She looked away from the screen and down at her plate, embarrassed. She put in long, exhausting hours at Dentsu. Many of the men she worked with were married or gay. And when work was done, she simply went home to the company of her beloved cat, Jack. She thought back, growing puzzled. How long had it been?

Work was her whole life. Every time a friend from school tried to set her up with someone, the men had always wanted her to change something about herself. To work less, to be cuter, to depend on them. Keiko just wasn't like that. She loved her job. She had gone to an all-girls' school and had been befuddled by girls who tried so desperately to be cute and charming at all times. "Kitagawa, you're so serious all the time. Loosen up!" they'd chided her. It was too much work. She shouldn't have to be the one to change. Keiko was Keiko, take it or leave it.

Most men, she thought bitterly, had left it.

When she looked up again, Yuriko was concluding her presentation, and their eyes met. There was an intelligence in the other woman's face, and something more than that. Something almost dangerous. Well, Keiko thought, breaking their eye contact in favor of shoving some ridiculously delicious tuna into her mouth. You had to be just a bit dangerous to make your living by spanking people for cash.

"Thank you so much for your patience and your attentiveness today," Yuriko said. "I know this isn't your usual work, and if I've offended you in any way, please leave the account with my apologies. But for those of you who remain, I'm sure we'll have a great time working together."

The new account director, Nerima-san, encouraged everyone to finish up the lunch that Yuriko had so generously brought while the dominatrix's assistant handed each of them a box of "samples" that would hopefully assist them in the weeks to come as they worked on creative and planned ahead. Keiko accepted her box with a wary, but polite smile and was just heading for the door when she heard movement behind her.

"Ah, Kitagawa-san, was it?"

Keiko turned, clutching the box against her, to find Yuriko smiling happily at her. "Yes?"

Everyone was leaving the room, some of them shaking their boxes while others were shoveling sushi onto plates to take back to their desks. Yuriko patted her on the arm. "You will be staying with the account, won't you?"

Keiko had seen almost half the people in the room look disgusted during the presentation despite themselves. How many of them were going to beg supervisors to put them on any other account that would have them? Keiko wasn't like that. She was still reeling from the Shiseido bump, but if this was the job she was assigned, then she'd do it properly.

"Of course, Yoshitaka-san," she said, even as she was still blushing at the thought of having to bring a box of people-sized dog collars home with her on the train.

"Since you're in planning, I think it's important we work well together right from the start, don't you think?" Yuriko smelled like some sort of exotic flower, dark and mysterious. "I was hoping you could come back to the office with me today if you had time?"

"Oh?" Keiko knew she was being rude now because her hands were starting to shake. It wasn't every day that a dominatrix businesswoman was looking her straight in the eye. Was she expected to look down and submit? She wasn't sure. "Yes, of course, whatever you require."

"Excellent!" Yuriko said, clapping her hands. "My assistant will provide you with directions. Come by around 4:00 PM, and I'll give you a peek of where the magic happens."

With that the woman turned to finish up the remaining lunch she'd paid for, but not before pulling a bottle of hot sauce out of her leather purse and squeezing a ridiculous amount out onto the sushi. She devoured it with murmured noises of satisfaction that made Keiko a little weak in the knees. 

Yoshitaka Yuriko, Keiko thought. What have I gotten myself into with you?

\--

Okada had not been in favor of Sho's suggested changes, but his partner Morita had always been more understanding about money. Thanks to Morita's cajoling, Sho's budgeting notes had won the day. But even that victory was growing sour as he sat in the hole in the wall ramen joint a few blocks from their building with Ninomiya Kazunari at his side.

The man was quite wealthy, but you'd never know it with the food he ate. Even now he was slurping noodles down merrily, little oily splatters of soup marring his hoodie. Sho was grateful for the free meal, but he knew that by the end of it he was going to be coerced into something he didn't want to do.

But because Sho prided himself on making civilized conversation, he decided to ask Nino about business. "I see a new game is launching soon?" he asked politely.

Nino nodded. "Oppai Revolution! It's set during the French Revolution. Powdered wigs, fake moles, lots of cleavage. We think this one will really appeal to the history otaku types."

"I see."

Nino, as always, saw right through him. "But we're not here to talk about that today, Sho-chan. As I mentioned this morning, I need a favor. I think you're really going to like this favor."

Sho slurped down some of his noodles in defiance. One of these days he'd tell Nino no. One of these days he'd say no, and Nino wouldn't be offended because surely Sho had done plenty of favors for him and had asked for nothing in return. Maybe they could even be friends instead of rich guy and easily manipulated accountant.

Nino continued. "I was chatting with Okada-kun last night, and he was telling me that you haven't taken any of your allotted vacation time in almost a year. That's pretty pathetic."

Sho narrowed his eyes. His boss hadn't so much as hinted that he and Nino had been talking about him behind his back. "We're a small, still growing company," Sho pointed out. "It would be negligent of me."

Nino laughed. "My god, you're a workaholic. They have programs for people like you."

Sho frowned. He liked his job. He liked doing his part to help the company grow. Custom-made furniture was such a niche market, but if they kept improving maybe they'd be able to expand beyond custom pieces someday. Maybe every home could have an Okada rocking chair, a Morita-designed dinette set.

And Sho had been meaning to take some time off, he really had. But there was just so much to do, and he couldn't bear the idea of running off when Okada might really need him. What if an order fell through? What if someone made a mistake in his absence?

"I'm getting married in two weeks, Sho-chan," Nino said. Sho remembered that Nino had gotten engaged several months earlier. Lots of people around the office whispered about Nino's fiancee with wicked glints in their eyes, but Sho had always managed to tune it out. It had even made the news since Nino's success had gotten him on several eligible bachelor lists despite his slovenly appearance.

"Congratulations," Sho said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I already have Okada-kun's approval, so you can't say no. I want you to be there."

"For the wedding? But we hardly know each other!"

Nino laughed. "That doesn't matter. Look, it's one of those destination weddings. I hate that sort of thing, but what can you do, it's what the woman wants. We'll be in Okinawa for a week, all expenses paid. I've reserved this block of rooms, but I get charged extra if I can't fill them all. Here's where you come in."

Sho was confused. Nino was a millionaire, why was this even a problem? "Wait, wait just a minute here. You're only inviting me so you can get a good deal?"

"Naturally," Nino replied, patting him on the back. "I think it's a win-win. You get a week in Okinawa, beaches, golf, whatever people do outside in places like that. And I get one more room filled, and I save money. It's an excellent proposition, if I do say so myself. Besides, I hate weddings and I'm letting Yuriko do most of the guest list. I need at least a few friends there."

Nino considered him a friend? The guy with everything considered him a friend? Sho scratched his nose in irritation. "A week though? I can't be away from work for a week. I mean, thank you of course for considering me, but surely you have better friends who would take you up on such a generous offer?"

Nino snorted. "I don't. Look, Sho-chan. Imagine yourself in my place. I've got people groveling at my feet all the time, begging for an opportunity to work with me or for me to invest in their companies or claiming they're a long lost cousin and don't they deserve a piece of the good life. You've never done it. You do things for me all the time, and you never complain..."

"I think I complain quite a bit..."

"You don't. So will you please come? Please?"

The beautiful sunny beaches of Okinawa. The blue skies, the tranquil seas. A week without crunching numbers, a week to recharge himself. It really had been a long time since he'd had a vacation. And as he met Nino's eyes, he saw something in them that he usually didn't. Desperation. Maybe the guy really didn't have that many friends. He was chatty and decent to everyone, but most people just sucked up to him because of who he was. Sho thought that had to be kind of lonely, especially when you were about to get married and wanted the people closest to you around. And an all expenses paid vacation would be no problem for Sho's own bank account.

"And you're sure my boss approved of this?"

"I asked him if I could borrow you for a week, and he said no problem! He said I could have you for a month if I wanted."

Sho lifted his bowl to drink down the rest of the soup in irritation. Clearly the offices of Okada & Morita were exaggerating, and Sho would be missed in some capacity. He set the bowl back down and met Nino's eyes. "Fine," he said with a long-suffering sigh. At least he wouldn't be voice acting some loser this time. "I guess you can count me in."

"Excellent," Nino said, looking overjoyed. "Because I've already paid for your plane ticket."

Sho frowned.

\--

For some reason, Keiko had been anticipating that Yoshitaka Yuriko's office would be more sex dungeon than office. She'd been mistaken. In fact, the office was a mere suite on one floor of a building in Tokyo Midtown. She welcomed Keiko inside with a friendly smile, still in her business suit from the meeting earlier that afternoon. What had Keiko expected? To find her new client head to toe in latex or something?

If this assignment was going to teach her anything, it was to not rely on preconceptions.

The Puppy Play office was just a reception area, Yuriko-san's office, and a few smaller offices for sales staff. A company in Korea manufactured the Puppy Play line and sent items on order to Tokyo where Yuriko's staff mailed them out to buyers. "It's all about customer service, personalized attentive service. Oh," Yuriko explained, giving Keiko a flirtatious wink. "And about keeping it discreet!"

Keiko followed Yuriko into her office, which was a little wilder in design than the outer offices. The walls were painted red and adorned with several black-and-white framed photographs. Men and women both, all in some sort of bondage. Keiko wasn't sure where she was supposed to be looking because she had blindfolded or rope-tied people at every angle.

Yuriko sat behind her desk, lifting up her laptop screen and gesturing for Keiko to have a seat. "You'll forgive my interior design preferences, I hope, Kitagawa-san?"

"Keiko is fine. We'll be working together for some time," she said agreeably, finding it far easier to look at her new client's face than at her client's furnishings.

"Mm! Keiko then!"

Yuriko's smile was infectious. It was still such a disconnect from the "Mistress Yuri" on her website. As soon as she'd gotten back to her desk, Toma and the others from the hair care team had come over to immediately start gossiping. What was she like? Did she bring whips to the meeting? Much as Yuriko's occupation was rather taboo, she was a shrewd businesswoman with a clear plan. It would be a tough assignment, but at least Yuriko was a woman who knew the direction she wanted her brand to take. It would make Keiko's burdens more manageable on the marketing side.

"Of course I've picked an awful time to launch the brand on a wider scale," Yuriko lamented, leaning back in her chair. "I'm getting married in two weeks!"

Keiko smiled. "Congratulations, how wonderful!"

Yuriko sighed. "I've been a regular Bridezilla, honestly. So unattractive, I know. It's so hard to separate the business and personal the closer it gets. I mean, there I was yesterday with a client and he's kissing my boots and I'm worrying about the cake. I'm having it shipped all the way down to Okinawa."

Keiko couldn't help blushing at the idea of Yuriko "on the job." It was difficult to reconcile with the bubbly bride-to-be before her. Yuriko seemed to finally catch on that Keiko was a bit uncomfortable. "I know what you're thinking," the woman said, naughty twinkle in her eye. "Everybody thinks the same because they simply don't take the time to ask me..."

"Oh!" Keiko muttered, worried she'd gone and offended her. "No, no, I'm so sorry..."

But Yuriko was undeterred. "I don't have sex with clients. That is not what I do or who I am. I discipline. I punish. I am worshipped. But I am not a prostitute. There are plenty of skilled folks to do that sort of thing."

"And so your fiance..."

Yuriko beamed. He was an interesting and understanding fellow indeed, to knowingly marry a woman in her line of work. "My Nino also worships me. He's actually the reason Puppy Play exists."

Keiko bit her lip, wondering if she should steer the conversation back to business. She decided to let Yuriko ramble on, if only because she didn't have any idea what to say.

"He's a businessman, my fiance. Have you heard of Stimulation Incorporated? No? They're a gaming company. And he encouraged me to go into business myself. After I get married, I was thinking of hanging up the whip for a while. He didn't tell me I had to or anything, he's such a sweetheart, but he did say that it might be worth putting my talents to a broader use."

"And so..." Keiko murmured. "Puppy Play."

"Puppy Play!" Yuriko cheered, turning her laptop screen to face Keiko, who very nearly gasped at the computer's desktop wallpaper. 

A grown man on the skinny side clad only in boxer shorts. He was wearing one of the Puppy Play doggie headbands and holding a pet food dish in his mouth, his hands up submissively like doggie paws. "Your fiance?" she managed to choke out.

Yuriko mercifully turned the screen back to herself. "A good man is hard to find. A good pet even harder!"

Truly an interesting couple for the 21st century, Keiko thought. And here she was, unable to even find a date when she wanted one. "I was wondering, Yuriko-san, um, if you could explain why you wanted me to visit today? Nerima-san will be your account director, and I'm only a strategist so..."

"Nonsense!" Yuriko said. "You're the one who can talk to me straight from day one. I know men like Nerima-san, and honestly, I wanted a woman in charge. You're the best go-between I'll have between what I want and what your creative people will end up doing. I need you to fully understand my vision, you see. I need you to really get me and the Puppy Play way of life. I'm not saying you have to become a clone of me, not in the least. Your business and preferences are your own. I just think that together you and I will envision the future of Puppy Play, and I want to be on the same page."

"Very well," Keiko replied, thinking of the box of dog collars still on the desk in her cubicle back at the Dentsu building. A boyfriend in college had suggested a blindfold once, and Keiko had declined. And that was the closest she'd ever come to the Puppy Play "way of life." It was going to be quite the uphill battle. "I'll do my best to realize your vision."

"You're single, aren't you?" Yuriko asked bluntly.

"I...yes."

"No shame in that, Keiko-san, but I ask for a reason. Sitting at home with collars or watching fetish porn is not going to give you a fully realized picture of the lifestyle. While you were on your way over here, I spoke with Nerima-san on the phone, and he's kindly agreed to my demands. Forgive my presumption, but I'm going to be kidnapping you for a week."

"Kidnapping me?" Keiko blurted out.

But Yuriko's smile was more reassuring than fear-inducing. "I'd like you to come to Okinawa as my guest. Don't worry about your expenses," she said, "You can bill the full week against my account."

"To...work?"

Yuriko laughed. "To attend my wedding!"

\--

Two suitcases for one week, Sho thought with a sigh. No matter what, he couldn't seem to narrow it down. Okinawa might get stormy at this time of the year, so he had plenty to wear in case they got rained out. And then of course he'd had to pack for a night or two on the town. And he had a suit for the wedding ceremony. And then some trunks for the beach as well. 

Despite Okada's insistence, he'd brought home his work laptop and half a dozen envelopes full of receipts. One of the junior accountants had already gone through it, but Sho knew it couldn't hurt to double check his work. Surely Nino wouldn't monopolize his entire week, and Sho would be able to poke at a bit of work here and there.

Sho had been to several weddings the past few years, mostly friends from university. His checkbook had really taken a beating the previous summer when four friends had gotten married, and since Sho wasn't married himself, he hadn't seen much return. He took a sad look around his apartment, frowning. Nino was right. Sho was a workaholic. His life was Okada & Morita, and there'd been no feminine touch in his life since Asami had (rightfully) given up on him over a year ago. She'd waited for a ring that never came.

He'd turned 30, but he'd been much more interested in seeing the company succeed than his relationship. And now that he was alone again, it had been all too easy to let that trend continue. But the ugly 'wedding' word had reared its head, and Sho was spiraling into confusion all over again. Sho was responsible, thoughtful, hard-working. But he couldn't take very good care of himself. It wouldn't hurt to have a partner around to keep him from staying up til 3:00 AM scrutinizing receipts.

It wouldn't hurt to have a warm body in bed beside him either. Somebody to love.

He slammed the suitcase lid down, zipping it angrily. "Damn it, Nino," he grumbled bitterly.

He was going down south for a week, and he'd be surrounded by couples, he was sure of it. Nino was shelling out a lot of money for this resort they were staying at, and the floor plans for the rooms were fairly ridiculous. The room Sho would be in was almost the same size as his own apartment, with a separate bedroom and a kitchen space. At the very least, Sho contented himself with the thought of still making himself breakfast each morning. But the rest of the time would be Sho on semi-vacation in a large, empty hotel room while dozens of weddings were carried out on the beaches and in chapels nearby.

"I'll have a good time," he reassured himself. "I will."

And now he was talking to himself. Never a good sign.

He'd already forced himself to turn off the TV. A storm front was blowing through come morning, so he was almost certain that his flight would be canceled or delayed. Nino, his fiancee, and several of their friends who apparently didn't have anything pressing keeping them in Tokyo had already flown down there. Sho and one other person were flying out in the morning, some friend of Nino's fiancee, and they'd be the last to arrive.

Well, at least he'd have someone to talk to during the flight and during the trip north from Naha to the resort. They were staying in Onna, an hour's drive north of the airport. It was difficult to imagine the sandy beaches now as he looked out the window of his apartment, seeing nothing but other apartment high-rises surrounding him. 

The itinerary when they arrived would be fairly loose, something that was anathema to a person like Sho. He arrived Saturday morning and the first few days were at leisure to enjoy the island. On Tuesday evening the bachelor and bachelorette parties were scheduled, but according to Nino, those events hadn't been finalized yet either. For such an extravagant trip, Nino and his fiancee sure kept things until the last second (if Sho's very late invite was any indication). Wednesday evening would be a rehearsal dinner, Thursday at sunset was the ceremony itself followed by a reception in the evening. Friday was one last day to relax before returning to Tokyo on Saturday. 

Nino and his fiancee were jetting off to Bali for another week after that, something that Nino had been complaining about to Sho in the elevator every morning since Sho had been coerced into attending the wedding week. "Beaches and water, beaches and water," Nino kept grumbling. "She'll be the death of me."

And yet Nino's affection for the woman he would be marrying was obvious. Sho didn't know much about her yet. Nino had cryptically kept hinting "you'll see..." which made Sho all the more curious about her. Instead Nino had only shown him a few pictures they'd taken in a photo booth. Yuriko was very pretty, five years younger than Nino but "far wiser than her age," he explained. Sho couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something in her eyes, something that kept his attention even in little photo booth snapshots.

What did she do for a living? "You'll see," Nino had said.

What hobbies did she have? "You'll see," Nino had said.

So an aura of mystery had risen around Yuriko, the future Mrs. Ninomiya. Sho supposed he could have Googled her, learned more about her, but he'd been busy wrapping things up at work. He could just meet her in person and get to know her then. And besides, it wasn't like he was a close member of the wedding party. He was just some guy invited at the last second. He was just there so Nino could get his reservation deal.

Frowning once more, Sho closed up his other bag and hauled them both to the door. A cab was coming to take him to Haneda at 5:00 for his 7:30 flight, weather permitting. It was a vacation, he told himself. A long overdue vacation. He just needed to relax.


	2. Chapter 2

The box of dog collars had sat unopened on Keiko's living room table for almost a full week now. She was flying down to Okinawa in the morning, and her suitcase was packed despite Jack's best efforts to climb in the bag and come along. She sat on her loveseat and stared at the TV, scratching under Jack's chin as he purred contentedly at her side.

It had been a good long while since she'd left Jack behind for so many days in a row. This year her parents and her brother had come up to Tokyo from Kobe for the holiday, so she was being extra affectionate to the kitty in advance of his loneliness. Her neighbor had her spare key and was kind enough to check in on Jack, feed him, clean his litter pan, and pick up her mail while she was gone. But she'd still miss him. He was her constant companion, stretching out at her side while she stayed up later than she should have on her laptop working on Tsubaki.

But now Tsubaki was gone. She'd spent the last few days helping Toma get the new girl on the account up to speed while she packed up her cubicle and moved. She'd gotten bumped down three floors, and she'd be sitting in a smaller, more densely packed cluster of cubes with the other new faces on Puppy Play. Nerima-san already seemed to dislike her because of how quickly Yuriko-san had latched onto her. As the account director, he probably thought he was more deserving of a free trip to Okinawa.

Oh well, she told herself. It was the nature of the business. Sometimes the clients didn't like you, and sometimes your colleagues didn't. Advertising wasn't a business for people with a thin skin.

Yuriko did expect her to be working to some extent on this trip, which Keiko appreciated. She didn't know Yuriko at all, much less any of her friends who'd also be in attendance. The thought of being around a professional dominatrix for an entire week was scary enough - were her friends big on that lifestyle too? Were they all going to be walking around the hotel with whips and chains? Were they going to expect Keiko to do the same?

She chuckled, shaking her head as Jack continued to purr. Stop, Keiko. She had to stop judging what Yuriko did. The woman had put her trust in Keiko to get Puppy Play off the ground and had been generous enough to invite her to Okinawa. The woman's entire existence didn't revolve around her sex life.

She pulled the box off the table finally and opened it, pulling out one of the puppy headbands. "It's cute," she decided, flicking at one of the fuzzy brown ears. Though she supposed the cuteness wasn't the point. Obedience and submission were. She peered over at Jack, who was stretched out, his fluffy tail curled up underneath him in complete contentment. Well, cats were different. Obedience wasn't in their programming.

Keiko put the headband on, digging through the rest of the box. The items were decently made. The collars were a sturdy leather, and even the spikes had been properly adhered to the material. She poked the edge of one, finding it wasn't as sharp as it looked. What would they do for the ads? Would they have to enlist some AV stars to wear the gear for the creative? 

It was for couples, Yuriko had said again and again. They'd need men and women both to don the collars, hold the leashes. At least Keiko wouldn't have to be there for any photo shoots. That was for the creative team to accomplish. Keiko's task, on the other hand, was to better understand the people who might use the Puppy Play gear. Though Yuriko expected 99% of her items to be advertised through fetish websites, it was up to Keiko to figure out where others might be reached.

She tried to think of some of her married friends and what they might like to do. Every time she met up with her classmates from back home, it seemed like another one was getting married, having a baby. "What about you, Kitagawa? When are we going to hear about you?" they asked. Keiko slid the headband off, setting it back in the box. 

This was going to be the big problem. She wasn't married. She wasn't in a committed relationship and hadn't been in a very long time. What did she know about couples? What did she know about what happened behind closed bedroom doors these days? How could she say "spice things up with some pet gear" without turning people off?

Jack seemed to sense her frustration, hopping off the loveseat and heading for his water dish. Keiko set the box back on the table with a sigh before thinking better of it. What if her neighbor poked around while she was coming by to feed the cat? She picked the box up and carried it to her bedroom closet, shutting the collars and leashes inside. 

Instead she grabbed her laptop from the living room and flopped down on her bed. She navigated her way to Mistress Yuri's website. She hadn't taken a real good look yet. Instead of her cheerful smile, Yuriko was smirking seductively in each photo. In one, she was dressed in a corset top and a patent leather miniskirt, a thigh-high boot resting on the middle of a man's back (the man's face was blurred). In another there was simply a close-up of her red-polished and well-manicured fingernails, her hands tightly clutching a riding crop.

Keiko's heartbeat sped up as she clicked through the site, finding a list of "Services" that Mistress Yuri was willing to provide. Bondage and restraint. Spankings. Flogging. Pet Play. Role Play. On and on it went, though Yuriko had been telling the truth. None of it involved sex acts. She merely stated what she would and would not do and listed contact numbers and basic pricing information.

This was the same woman who'd so happily invited Keiko to her wedding, who spoke to her like they were already old friends. She closed her laptop, feeling like a voyeur and trying to ignore the long-dormant urges that seemed to be bubbling up inside. It had been so long, and now she was walking into a lion's den.

\--

The taxi had picked him up on time, but it didn't much matter. By the time he got to Haneda it was pouring and his 7:30 flight had just been bumped to noon. He checked his bags anyhow, going through security in a bit of a huff. Sho had expected this, but it still irked him whenever his perfectly planned itinerary fell through. The terminal was full of unhappy passengers, and he made his way to the gate.

He'd been planning to take a bus north from Naha, but even if his plane left at noon he wouldn't get down to Okinawa until about 2:00 PM. And then it would be another hour plus on the bus. He sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs at the gate. The lit up board across from him read "JAL to Naha - delayed, now leaving at 12:00 PM." Things hadn't changed for the better since he'd checked in.

At least he had his laptop bag with him, and he could get started on his work. As the morning continued on, the rain started to let up. But did it affect his flight? Of course not. Flights in the terminal around him that had been scheduled later in the morning set for Osaka and for Sapporo were leaving on time. And still his gate said "delayed, now leaving at 12:00 PM."

Other passengers found their way to his gate, looking just as frustrated as Sho felt as he angrily punched the laptop keys, editing his spreadsheets. It was nearly 11:00 when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out, seeing "Ninomiya Kazunari" on the caller ID. Great. He was already late for his free vacation, and Nino was probably getting anxious about his precious reservation fees.

"Hello?"

A woman answered, a voice Sho didn't recognize. But it was a light, airy voice, as though every word she said was meant to be a joke. "Hello, is this Sakurai-san?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Hello from Okinawa, this is Yoshitaka!"

Ah, the infamous Yuriko at long last. "Yoshitaka-san, I'm so sorry," he said, trying to keep his voice down to not disturb anyone else waiting at the gate. "I should be there by now, but my flight was delayed because of bad weather."

"Oh, it's no trouble," she said easily. "And we know. We've been on a flight tracker site all morning. Technology is certainly amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is."

She giggled, but it wasn't the charming giggle of a young woman her age. It was a giggle that was laughing at his misfortune. The perfect match for Nino, Sho thought darkly. "Don't worry about a thing. We're going to have Aiba-kun come pick you up in Naha so you're not standing around waiting for a bus."

"Aiba-kun?"

"You didn't even tell him about Aiba-kun?" Yuriko said, obviously talking to Nino. Sho heard muttering on the line, but then Yuriko's voice returned to its normal volume. "Aiba-kun is a darling, and you'll totally recognize him at the terminal when you arrive. He's Aiba Masaki from TV!"

Sho couldn't believe it. Aiba Masaki was a well-known celebrity in Tokyo, a popular TV chef who aspired to be a comedian, telling bad jokes while making mabo tofu for an adoring audience. And the guy was friends with Nino? "Well, thank you. Are you absolutely sure? I don't have a problem taking the bus."

"Oh, Aiba-kun rented a convertible down here. He'll want to show it off, don't worry! So please look for him, okay?"

"Thank you, Yoshitaka-san, I will." That at least took one worry away, having to sit on a bus with all his luggage after his already irritating morning. And he'd get to meet a celebrity.

"Now I need a favor from you, Sakurai-san!" Nino and his fiancee seemed to enjoy asking people for favors.

"Name it."

"I need you to find the most beautiful woman waiting at your gate."

"Huh?" Sho said, looking up, eyes darting around the other rows of seats, mostly angry tourists and old couples in matching Hawaiian shirts impatiently waiting for 12:00 to arrive. "What do you mean?"

Yuriko laughed again. "Because that woman is going to be on your flight to Naha, and you'll have to make sure she finds Aiba-kun too. She's my wedding guest, and I will hold you personally responsible for getting her here, okay?"

"Wait just a moment, what's her name?"

"Well that takes some of the fun away, doesn't it? Remember, Sakurai-san, the _most_ beautiful. Accept no substitutes! See you in Naha, bye bye!"

And with that the line went dead.

\--

Keiko had walked up and down the terminal for an hour, but it was no use. She couldn't find one outlet to plug in her phone charger. It was the one thing she'd forgotten to do the night before, and now her phone was dead. She'd had no way to call down to Yuriko and apologize. Her flight was already delayed over four hours, and she couldn't even get in touch. Of course, she could have asked another passenger to borrow their phone but she definitely didn't have the courage to do that. Everybody in the terminal was already walking around like a storm cloud was hovering over their heads. And besides, Yuriko's number was programmed into her phone. She didn't feel like asking someone to visit Mistress Yuri's website on their iPhone to get one of her contact numbers.

She shoved her phone back in her purse and headed for her own gate. It was just after 11:00 so ideally they'd be able to board in half an hour or so. And not a minute too soon. She'd hardly gotten any sleep, and then she'd woken up at 4:00. Maybe she could nap on the plane. 

She knew she looked terrible, too. She'd left out a pair of jeans and a blouse to change into to save time in the morning, but she'd woken to the sound of Jack expressing his irritation with her, a fresh hairball on her jeans. That was his way of telling her to have a nice trip without him, the devil cat. She'd opted instead for yoga pants and a soft t-shirt under her jacket. Her hair was back in a loose ponytail, and she'd gone with her glasses instead of contacts. All in all, she looked like a slob, but all that would change once she got to the hotel and switched into one of the outfits packed in her bag. But after four hours in the terminal and another three hours of travel ahead, she kind of wished she'd put in a little more effort.

Everyone at the gate, despite their frustration with the weather and the airline, was dressed like they were on their way to paradise. Businessmen in suits heading down for conventions, a few families in jeans and bright t-shirts. Keiko looked for an empty seat to settle in, pushing her glasses back up her nose. She took a book out of her bag and got ready to wait out the rest of the delay, but it was hard to concentrate because of the man currently walking around the gate area with a confused look on his face.

He was older than her, but not too much, with a round, handsome face and dark hair with fringe angled across his forehead. His best feature was his mouth, full lips set in a distressed and adorable pout. He was in khaki slacks and a trenchcoat, a laptop bag slung over his shoulder as he went from aisle to aisle looking for something or someone. Keiko slid down in her seat, holding her book up. In the terminal full of families and middle-aged businessmen he was the one bright spot, a good-looking guy who was dreadfully lost.

Don't come over here, Keiko thought, the words in her book blurring. Oh please don't come over here.

He kept staring, to the point of rudeness, at most of the women at the gate. Had he lost his wife? His girlfriend? He looked like he wanted to ask a question, but every time he got close he seemed to stop himself, stepping back to look around again. Just what on earth was he doing? But then he turned, caught sight of her, and she hurriedly looked back down at her book.

Great, just great. She could hear him stepping over people's carry-on bags, murmuring apologies in a low voice. There was a woman sitting in the seat beside her, make-up perfect and hair dyed an attractive brown. She was dressed from head to toe in designer clothes, and she was wearing an expensive pair of Christian Louboutin pumps as she tapped away on her phone. Keiko shrank a bit in her seat. Maybe it was some idol girl or something, and Trenchcoat Guy was the hapless manager. He certainly had a manager-type look to him.

She tried to look at her book as the guy finally made it to their aisle. She'd read the same sentence four times when she heard him clear his throat. "Um, excuse me? I'm really sorry to interrupt you."

She looked to her left, waiting for Designer Girl to look up from her phone, only to realize that he wasn't talking to the other girl. He was addressing _her_.

She looked up, pushing her glasses up her nose one more time. Oh god, oh god, oh god. He was looking right at her. And then he smiled, a kind of shy, toothy smile.

"Are you going to the Ninomiya and Yoshitaka wedding? In Onna?"

Okay, he definitely wasn't an idol manager. She closed her book, slipping the bookmark inside it, trying to keep calm. "Yes I am. And you are?"

He sighed in obvious relief, looking ready to collapse. What was wrong with him? She moved her carry-on bag out of the seat beside her, and he sank into it immediately, setting down his bag. He chuckled to himself quietly before finally speaking again. "I'm Sakurai Sho, a guest of the groom. I just got off the phone with Yoshitaka-san, and she told me to find you."

"Forgive me for trying to hide from you," she apologized quietly, inclining her head. "She did mention that I wouldn't be the only one flying down this morning. I'm Kitagawa Keiko, a guest of the bride."

He smiled at her warmly, despite how silly she probably looked. At the very least, she now had an ally on this trip. But at the very worst, the handsome guy with a very ring-less left hand was now seeing her dressed at her utter laziest. "It's nice to meet you. Yoshitaka-san is aware of our delay, and she's having someone meet us at the airport to drive us to the hotel."

She sent a prayer of gratitude Yuriko-san's way. They were barely acquainted, and she was already looking after Keiko so kindly. And then even more surprising, Sakurai-san explained that they were to be picked up at the airport in a convertible by that celebrity chef, Aiba Masaki. Dentsu had even done a campaign with him earlier in the year for Calphalon pots and pans. And now she was going to be escorted around Okinawa by him.

"I suppose today's the start of one interesting week," she said.

"Let's hope so."

\--

To Sho's dismay, he and Kitagawa-san were not seated beside each other on the plane. She was up near the front of the coach section while Nino had stuck Sho in the back next to the bathroom. Every time the door opened he got a fresh whiff of the pungent chemical smell from the toilet inside.

He'd made a complete ass of himself at the gate, stumbling around and staring at all those women. He was surprised nobody had reported him. Yoshitaka-san sure was an interesting person. The most beautiful woman at the gate, though, she'd ordered. And Sho had found her.

There'd been plenty of women there, but he'd been drawn to her as soon as he'd spotted her. She was dressed in what Sho thought of as quasi-Ninomiya chic in her sweats, but she had a small, sweet face even if she hadn't smiled too much and despite not being very tall, she had legs for days. But that didn't much matter, Sho told himself as yet another person exited the plane bathroom, ruining Sho's sense of smell once again.

It didn't matter because this was just a wedding, and he'd probably never see her again. 

They hadn't had much time to chat before boarding, but they'd already managed to exchange business cards. That had made Sho's heart beat the slightest bit faster. Someone besides himself who brought business cards along on a leisure trip? He smiled at the thought, pulling out the card from his jacket pocket. Kitagawa Keiko, Strategic Planning. Dentsu. The dominant advertising agency in Japan. Beauty _and_ brains then, Sho decided, slipping the card back into his pocket. He doubted that she was as impressed with his Lead Accountant business card for a firm nobody had really heard of.

Sho had confessed that he'd been a last minute addition to the wedding roster, and to his surprise, Kitagawa-san admitted the same. But before they could explain more, it had been time to board. Sitting alone in the terminal with a book, it seemed that at least she didn't have a plus one. 

The plane finally began its descent into Naha Airport, Sho grateful the next step of his journey could finally begin. Upon landing, there was the usual annoying bustle with the overhead compartments, the already grumpy passengers mumbling to themselves as they reached up and pulled their carry-ons out of the bins. It was a slow and miserable wait at the rear of the plane, and Sho was finally able to grab his bag and begin the long walk to the front.

To his surprise, Kitagawa-san was waiting for him just inside the accordion-like gate that connected the plane to the terminal building. He slid his bag over his shoulder, nodding in greeting. "Looks like we made it," he said.

She nodded in return, a very small smile on her face. She looked exhausted, but it was a cute kind of exhausted, Sho had to admit. Tired eyes, hair a little mussed. He tried to shake the thoughts away. They had to get their bags. They stood side by side quietly when they reached the baggage claim, the bags whirring around on the metal track.

Hers came by first and when he stepped forward to try and help her, she shook her head quickly and decisively, making him back off instantly. She hoisted the bag with little trouble, standing it up at her side. She was the type who didn't require or expect any help. Sho held back a grin as he waited for his own bags, but Kitagawa-san didn't bother to hide her amusement when he pulled not one but two bags off the carousel. But she didn't have a comment. Her eyes had said enough.

They walked together through the terminal to the ground transportation pick-up area, and already Sho could feel the change in the weather. It had been rainy and cool in Tokyo now that spring had just about arrived, but the thermostat in Naha read a pleasant 21 degrees Celsius, and Sho was quick to take off his jacket. As they went through a set of double doors, they were greeted by the sight of several limo drivers waiting to pick up passengers as well as a few tour group guides. Surely a celebrity wouldn't make himself known, especially someone as popular as Aiba-san.

Kitagawa-san elbowed Sho a moment later. "To the left, with the baseball cap."

He turned. Even with the cap pulled low over his eyes, there was no mistaking that smile. All of Tokyo loved Aiba Masaki's smile, even if some of the dishes he cooked on his show were rather questionable. They walked over, seeing that both of their names had been scrawled hastily onto a piece of paper Aiba held in his hands.

"Keiko-san and Sho-san, I presume?" Aiba said quietly as they approached.

Keiko nodded. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for coming to get us, it's much appreciated."

To avoid attention, Aiba weaved them through the crowd, dodging luggage carts and clueless tourists with the obvious skill of a celebrity used to losing the paparazzi. They made it to the parking lot, buckling themselves into Aiba's rented convertible. Unlike the weather misery of the morning, it was bright and sunny down here, and Sho's mood improved greatly. He sat in back, insisting that Kitagawa-san take the front. It wasn't every day a celebrity gave you a driving tour of Okinawa's main island.

For someone with so many admirers, Aiba Masaki seemed like a fairly normal person away from television. He was Nino's best man for the wedding, telling them how Nino would sleep until 3:00 PM every day if Aiba wasn't around to make him live a little. The bachelor party, he assured Sho, would be one for the ages. He drove north from the airport, taking them past the Naha city limits and onto the island's main highway.

"How did you and Ninomiya-san meet?" Sho inquired, raising his voice to be heard over the highway noise.

"We were neighbors!" Aiba explained cheerfully, his baseball cap flung haphazardly in the backseat beside Sho, his wavy brown hair swaying in the wind. "As kids. Everybody said we wouldn't amount to anything, but look at us now. I'm on TV and he's marrying Mistress Yuri!"

Sho leaned forward, seatbelt stretching as he set his hand on the back of Kitagawa-san's seat. "Pardon me?"

Aiba looked over at Kitagawa-san, who seemed to shrink down in her seat, looking out at the towns just off the highway. "You mean you didn't know?" Aiba asked, dumbfounded. "She's only the most famous..."

\--

Keiko felt rather embarrassed for poor Sho-san as they pulled into the parking lot at the Kafuu Resort Condo Hotel after their long car ride. Not that Keiko knew all that much about Mistress Yuri, but Aiba had been more than happy to fill in the gaps in their knowledge on the way.

Used to the TV production crews censoring him if necessary, Aiba went into great detail about Mistress Yuri's services, her fame in the BDSM world and her rumored celebrity clients. Then to Keiko and Sho-san's equal horror, he'd blathered on about "Nino" and Yuriko's active and unconventional bedroom activities. As Nino's best friend, Keiko thought Aiba would have been better off keeping some of these things to himself.

But instead, Sho now knew that his friend, whose wedding he was here to attend, was completely and happily submissive to his fiancee in the bedroom and had no qualms about "rolling over and playing dead" for her.

They got out of the car, Aiba insisting on carrying her bags into the hotel. Sho trailed behind them, dragging his two suitcases with the most confused expression on his face. Keiko would have laughed if she wasn't finding herself in the same crazy situation. Aiba let them know about a welcome dinner that would be taking place that evening in the hotel's restaurant, but otherwise they could get settled in on their own.

She thanked Aiba again, and he headed off for a round of golf with some of the other guests of Nino's, though Keiko hadn't really caught their names. She'd been too busy trying to remain calm as Aiba had spent at least five minutes of the car ride detailing the "sex swing" that Nino and Yuriko had had shipped down to Okinawa for the week, if only because they "couldn't bear to be without it."

She and Sho received their room keys and headed for the elevator banks, alone again.

It was only when they were inside and the doors had closed that Sho spoke. "So I'm beginning to think I'm out of my league down here," he mumbled, watching as the elevator rose slowly to the top floor, all reserved by one Ninomiya Kazunari, millionaire sex swing owner. "How about you?"

She clung to the handle of her suitcase, trying not to laugh. "I actually...I work for Yuriko-san. She's our newest client. I'm helping her promote her new line."

"Line of what?" Sho asked, his face flushed completely, adorably red.

"Umm..." Now that they were by themselves, two strangers without the easygoing Aiba-san to blurt out whatever he felt like, it was difficult to get words out. "Adult toys."

"Oh?" Sho mumbled.

The doors opened, and she pulled her bag along. She would be in room 1226, which seemed to be at the very end of the hall. The sound of Sho's suitcases rolling as well seemed to indicate that he was going the same way. "It's um, it's not something I have a lot of experience with," she said, looking anywhere but at Sho's face behind her. They were both adults, so why was this so difficult to explain? "That's not to say I've never...well, I mean, um...I used to do account planning for shampoo, so this is all very new to me, you see."

"Right," Sho said.

"Right," she replied, making it to her door. She pulled out her card key, noticing that Sho had stopped at the room next door. "Oh, neighbors then?"

"Good," Sho said, "It'll be nice to have someone next door who isn't like..." He paused, scratching at his hair. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with what they're into. Um, unless you're also into...oh god, I need to stop talking..."

"I'm not," she blurted out a little louder than she intended, waving her hand in front of her face furiously. "Into that. It's all a little too much..." Were these words really coming out of her mouth? Was she really explaining to a relative stranger that she'd be a fine neighbor because she didn't have a sex swing or a bunch of whips in her suitcase? Really? 

She heard the little beep of Sho-san's own key card. He smiled, still obviously mortified from the car ride over. "I'll see you at the dinner tonight."

"See you then," she said, opening the door and pulling her bags inside before she made a fool of herself any more.

Honestly, it was all Aiba-san's fault. Attractive celebrity or no, he'd turned the entire car ride into a lurid, detailed overview of her hosts' sex life. How could she even go down for dinner? How could she keep a straight face when she met Ninomiya-san, having already seen a picture of him stripped to his underwear with a dog food bowl in his mouth? How on earth had she found herself in this situation?

And then there was a loud knock, and she jumped, accidentally tipping over her suitcase. It wasn't the door behind her. She heard a muffled "Kitagawa-san?" and then another more insistent knock. The entryway to the luxurious hotel room (more of a suite than a mere room) led to a bathroom on the left and then a bedroom on the right. She kept following the knocking until she made it to the kitchen and living room area, finding a door just beside the TV stand. It was an adjoining room!

She undid the lock on this other door, pulling it open to find Sho standing there sheepishly, holding a door of his own. "Hi neighbor," he said awkwardly, and she could see inside to a mirror image of her own suite. "I think Yuriko-san mixed up our rooms. Just a moment."

She waited, only to feel the temptation to slam the door immediately in his face when he returned. Because he was holding a large gift basket wrapped in clear cellophane topped with a big red bow and a card reading "Welcome Keiko-chan!" He held it out to her gingerly, as if he was ashamed to be holding it. "I'm sorry," he said, though there was no reason for _him_ to be apologizing.

Keiko took the basket, eyeing the contents in horror. And this was just the stuff she could see immediately. Inside there was a large jar labeled "Body Chocolate," a bright pink blindfold and fuzzy handcuffs, and the absolute worst, of course, was the box with the enormous penis-shaped vibrator on it labeled "My New Boyfriend - True to life texture, Better than life sensations!" 

She made a panicked squeak in fright, hurriedly rushing off to put it out of Sho's sight, only to cry out in surprise at the gift basket that she hadn't noticed on her own kitchen counter. 

"Everything okay?" Sho called, sounding amused.

She set down her welcome basket and picked up the one that read "Welcome Sho-kun!" It was filled to the brim with condom wrappers in every color of the rainbow and she hurried to the door before she peeked at anything else.

Sho's face froze when she thrust the basket out at him. 

"Take it," she mumbled, jostling it a bit. Oh please take it already, she begged him with her eyes. 

His hands were shaking and the blush that had only just left his face returned a thousandfold as he took the basket from her, their fingers brushing lightly. "I'll have to have a word with Nino," he said. 

They stood there again, eyeing each other, both so embarrassed they could barely function. "See you at dinner," she managed to say.

"See you," he replied, inclining his head and closing the door. 

Keiko closed her own adjoining door, wishing she could go right out of the hotel and board a plane straight back to Tokyo. Here she was completely unattached in romantic Okinawa, surrounded by people with sex on the brain, her hotel room one locked door away from a cute, seemingly single guy and she had a vibrating penis in a box on her counter.

Despite her own reservations, she took the bow off of the welcome basket. How many people had seen this? How many people had seen the "Welcome Keiko-chan!" card and now knew that she had all this stuff in her room? How the hell did she bill something like this against Yuriko's account? She took out the jar of chocolate, figuring she could just rip off the label and bring it home to dip some fruit in. At least it wouldn't go to waste then. She took out the "My New Boyfriend" and the packet of batteries Yuriko-san had been thoughtful enough to supply. That was staying in the box, thank you very much.

Yuriko had decorated the bottom of the basket with a colorful layer of yet more condoms, and Keiko dug around underneath them to find a small, folded piece of paper. "Claim me at the front desk," Yuriko had written in small, neat handwriting. No more, Keiko vowed. No more humiliation at the hands of her employer. She left the note on the counter and instead started to unpack.

Despite the naughty goods now littering the kitchen area, it was a gorgeous room. There was a sliding glass door leading to a balcony with a beautiful ocean view, and it appeared to be connected with Sho-san's balcony next door. There was the separate bedroom, and Keiko smiled at the sight of the large king-sized bed that took up most of the room. A luxury indeed, seeing as how she only had a double bed at home and that itself left her bedroom a tight fit. 

She flopped down on the mattress, wanting to sleep through the week with the sound of the ocean waves crashing into the shore. But that was not to be. If there was already a gift basket of inappropriateness, she could only imagine what else Yuriko and her friends had in mind to pass the time. After letting herself relax until it was time to get ready for dinner, she made herself get up, taking a nice long shower. She felt instantly better, changing from her sweats into a navy blue spaghetti-strap sundress, something she never made time to wear in Tokyo. She spent most of her time in business suits for work, and it felt good to let her hair down, slide her feet into a pair of chunky sandals. She exchanged her glasses for her contacts and finished things off with her favorite lipstick.

There, she decided, looking at herself in the mirror. She was ready for Okinawa, ready for anything. Well, she thought, spying the "My New Boyfriend" on the kitchen counter. Not quite anything.

\--

He didn't know which room was Nino's, and he didn't dare knock on anyone else's on the floor. Sho took the elevator down to the lobby, the desire to give Nino a smack for the stupid "gift basket" keeping him on edge. One hundred and fifty condoms (he'd had the time to count). Some scented and/or flavored. Some extra large. Some that glowed in the dark. Some with One Piece characters on the packets - just what every horny man needed, Chopper's face on his dick. 

Knowing Nino and knowing the two minutes of Yuriko-san he'd experienced on the phone that morning, he was pretty certain that the gift basket room mix-up hadn't really been a mix-up. Those two rascals had wanted to get a reaction, and Sho felt awful for Kitagawa-san, who was clearly not aware of a person like Nino's idea of fun. She probably had the lowest opinion of Sho a woman could possibly have, having to hand over the basket full of potential sex.

He felt rested at least, spending the late afternoon watching a soccer match with the ocean stretching off as far as the eye could see outside the sliding glass doors. It seemed he was sharing a balcony with Keiko, another planned occurrence, Sho suspected. 

This dinner would probably be just another part of Sho's day that would bring him great embarrassment. People like Nino and his dominatrix fiancee (another thing Sho was struggling to digest), people like the chatty Aiba Masaki, they seemed to have no shame in discussing their sexual activities. Aiba wouldn't have known about Nino's sex swing if Nino himself hadn't told him. Sho just wasn't like that. He was no virgin, obviously, but it was just something he didn't talk about. To Sho, what happened in the bedroom stayed in the bedroom. It was something between him and a partner, the end.

There was a man Sho hadn't seen before standing outside the hotel's restaurant, a good looking guy with broad shoulders and suspicious eyes. He saw Sho approaching, seeming to look down on Sho's polo shirt, khakis, and loafers with disdain. He, of course, was dressed to the nines in some bizarre floral print suit, a ruffled purple silk shirt on underneath it. He looked like he'd come straight from the runway at Fashion Week, not that Sho knew anything about Fashion Week.

"You must be Sakurai," the guy said bluntly. "Come on, it's this way."

Sho merely bit his tongue, deciding not to complain to this guy about his gift basket. "I'm Matsumoto Jun," the guy said. "I'm in the wedding party."

"Nino's friend?"

"No."

Fun guy, Sho thought darkly as Matsumoto Jun, wedding party member, led him through the restaurant to a private room in the back. It was a low-lit room with a fish tank taking up an entire wall and a long dining table with at least twenty-five seats, most occupied by people dressed as impeccably as Matsumoto and some in rather bizarre, almost fetish-looking attire. Sho finally spotted Nino at the very center, pouring out some sake for a pretty, dark-haired woman at his side. She looked fairly young, so Sho presumed it was the infamous Yuriko. 

Matsumoto cleared his throat. "Found him."

While most of the guests were perusing menus, ignoring Sho's arrival, Nino got to his feet. Sho wasn't surprised to find that he was unchanged from always, clad in a Legend of Zelda t-shirt and a pair of board shorts. He approached with his arms out, enveloping Sho in a hug.

"You didn't drown in Tokyo!" Nino cried. "I'm so glad you're here." He lowered his voice. "I'm surrounded by lunatics."

Matsumoto ignored Nino's comment, heading across the private room to sit at the side of a rather elegant-looking woman in a leather bustier top. "That's Jun-kun," Nino explained. "I only had Aiba to stand for me on my side and since Yuriko wanted two bridesmaids, I had to let one of her friends be with me. He's a good guy, Jun-kun though. Don't let that face of his fool you, he's a softie."

Sho kind of doubted that based on the guy's serious face, but he was a guest, and he didn't exactly have any sway over Nino's wedding party choices. "Can we talk?" Sho asked nervously, but Nino ignored him.

"Let me bring you over."

He linked arms with Sho, dragging him across the room to meet his fiancee. She had a small, enigmatic face, her hair piled up messily on her head. Sho swallowed, remembering what Aiba-san had explained in the car. The woman before him gave spankings for a living and was apparently the best at it. "Yuriko, this is the man who saved my wallet, Sakurai Sho-san."

Where Sho expected a polite nod or a smile, Yuriko got to her feet and went for him, going straight for his chest and giving one of his nipples an unexpected squeeze through his shirt. He yelped in shock, earning laughter from the guests gathered around the table.

But after that, she did a complete 180, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad you could come. Nino adores you."

Nino himself saw nothing embarrassing about this admission, sitting back down to chat with Aiba-san. Yuriko pulled him along by the wrist, tugging him down to the end of the table. There was one open seat remaining, and he spied a very different-looking Kitagawa-san sitting next to the empty chair. He'd been charmed by her unpretentious looks earlier that day, and now he was slightly stunned to find her with her long hair down, wearing a dress that seemed a little tame compared to the other women gathered around the table. But, Sho thought, it suited her perfectly. Her glasses were gone, and even in the low light she was beautiful.

Yuriko elbowed him. "You're staring."

Keiko laughed, not seeming to have heard Yuriko. "I already explained about the gift basket mix-up. They've all had a good laugh at our expense."

Sho left Yuriko's side, moving around the table to sit down beside Keiko. There were open bottles of champagne dotting the table, and Keiko went right ahead and started pouring some into the empty glass at Sho's place setting. From the more relaxed mannerisms she now had on display, it seemed to Sho that Keiko-san had already had a few herself.

With Sho at the very end of the table, he was kind of limited in his socializing. But that didn't much matter as Yuriko dominated the table. With Nino and Aiba knocking back drinks without paying much attention, Yuriko went around naming all of the guests she'd invited and thanking them for coming. As far as Sho could understand, most of the table's occupants worked for the infamous "Puppy Play" line or at the Snake and Earring Club in Tokyo where Yuriko was otherwise gainfully employed. Most of her clients met her there for their...sessions. Sho didn't have any other way to describe it.

And so there was a mixture of other men and women in Yuriko's line of work, including the maid of honor, who just so happened to be Matsumoto Jun's bustier top girlfriend, Shibasaki Kou. Kou-san was apparently Yuriko's senpai, and Sho was instantly afraid of her. Despite Matsumoto's cool indifference when he and Sho had met, he was putty in the hands of Kou-san, who fed him by hand and patted him on the head like a dog to the amusement of the whole table.

Well, the whole table save for Sho and Keiko, who ordered the same thing and mostly ate in silence. The table was full of people who either worked in an S&M club or patronized them, and they all knew one another intimately (in more ways than one, Sho suspected of many of them). Nino only had Aiba as an ally, but then Aiba kept turning to kiss the pretty blonde on his other side in between taking shots.

"His girlfriend," Keiko pointed out, pouring more champagne out for Sho even though his glass was still halfway full. "Rola-san. You know, from TV?"

Sho worked a lot and didn't make much time for TV. But he did watch Keiko's expression change over the course of the meal. She apparently knew who Rola-san was, and meeting her in person had changed her impression of her significantly. Even from across the table, Rola-san was a non-stop giggler, puffing out her cheeks in shock like a little girl whenever Yuriko and her friends tried to ask her about her sexual history. Aiba was so drunk he didn't even seem to hear his girlfriend admitting she'd lost her virginity at age 15 to the 27 year old friend of her cousin (giggle, cheek puff, longer giggle).

"Interesting table conversation," Sho mumbled, spearing his last piece of asparagus with his fork. 

There'd be a whole week with these people. Who knew what kind of personal information they'd try to get out of him? Just because they were open and happy with discussing their sex lives, Sho certainly was not.

"Keiko-chan!" Yuriko called as their dessert plates were being brought around, finally seeming to sense the dark, quiet aura at their end of the table. "Did you pick up your other gift yet?"

Sho watched Keiko's face flush, and not just from the alcohol. "Oh, not yet," Keiko said, eyes transfixed on the fish tank wall, looking anywhere but at Yuriko. "But thank you, I'll be sure to get it."

Yuriko got up from her seat, carrying her plate of brownies with her. She gestured for Sho to move and he made to get out of his seat, but Yuriko shoved him back down, instead sitting right in his lap side-saddle so she could talk to Keiko.

Sho, completely trapped, could only sit there and make panicked eyes at Nino, who only pointed at him and laughed before going back to his conversation with one of Yuriko's other colleagues. Well, Yuriko certainly was friendly.

She lowered her voice, speaking to Keiko in between munches of brownie. She didn't seem to mind if Sho overheard since in her dominatrix mind he was just a chair right now. "I only wanted to welcome you with something fun," she was explaining. "Please don't feel obligated to keep any of it. There's plenty of people at this table who would happily take it off your hands."

Keiko's fingers seemed to be itching to grab the champagne bottle before her. Maybe more alcohol would fix this crazy dinner. Sho couldn't blame her. "You really didn't have to get me anything, honestly. Thank you for your continued kindness."

Sho had to pee, and his bladder was sending him signals all the more now that he had an unwelcome guest sitting on him. An unwelcome guest who just so happened to be his friend's bride! Yuriko seemed perfectly comfortable sitting on him, like it was something she did all the time. "Let's go to the concierge together and pick it up. I just know you'll love it."

"Oh?" Keiko murmured. "We don't...we don't have to do that tonight..."

"Nonsense!" Yuriko insisted. "You're going to need it for the bachelorette party anyhow!"

Sho, despite himself, couldn't help being the slightest bit intrigued. During the car ride, Aiba hadn't spilled word one about the bachelor party. He wondered what the ladies would be getting up to.

"If you insist then," Keiko said agreeably. Sho had to hand it to her. In spite of her obvious embarrassment, she seemed to be getting along with everyone far better than Sho was.

Yuriko scooted off of him, shoving the plate of brownies at him. "Eat these. It's chocolate with a jalapeno kick!"

Sho's stomach flipped at both the brownie's ingredients as well as at the terse command. He accepted the plate meekly, almost inclined to bow his head and say "right away, ma'am." What a woman.

He watched Yuriko link arms with Keiko, pulling them along and out of the room as the others finished up their desserts and lit their after-dinner cigarettes. He saw Keiko look back over her shoulder at him, eyes terrified, as he took his first tentative bite of the dangerous brownie.


	3. Chapter 3

"So do you have any big plans tomorrow? Nino's a stick in the mud, so we'll probably just lounge around the room," Yuriko was saying as she escorted Keiko from the restaurant to the lobby.

Though Keiko usually wore a serious expression, she'd always been terrible at holding her liquor. Even though she was nervous, scared almost about what awaited her at the hotel's front desk, she found herself smiling anyhow. The champagne had definitely helped get her through the meal and the many introductions to Yuriko's friends.

"The beach maybe?" Keiko replied. In fact she'd planned to spend the day in the room on her laptop if she could, balcony doors wide open to let in the breeze while she did some research. It had felt confining to be in her apartment, searching the Internet for fetish and BDSM websites, but down here maybe it would be easier. She had to do her homework on the scene if she was going to have any sense at all about where Puppy Play might find its niche. After all, wasn't that what Yuriko was paying her for?

"Sounds nice," she said, bringing them up to the desk. The woman working there wore an unflappable expression, even as Yuriko ordered her to "bring out the garment bag for my friend Keiko" in less than polite Japanese.

Garment bag? Keiko swallowed, trying to stay calm. Whatever was in the bag was needed for the bachelorette party. Keiko had tried her best, packing a cute skirt, top, and some strappy heels for the ladies' night out. Apparently that wasn't good enough as the employee returned, holding a bag labeled "PADDLE ROYALE."

Yuriko accepted the bag with a smile, bringing Keiko to the elevators. "Paddle Royale is Kou-senpai's line of clothing. I'm being forward again, I know, but not only does this help support my friend's business, you're going to look amazing, I swear."

For a bachelorette party? Why did Keiko have to look amazing? It was going to be Yuriko's night, wasn't it? Yuriko wouldn't let go of the bag, and they rose up in the elevator, gabbing about how well Shibasaki-san's business was going, how happy she was to finally be settling down with Matsumoto-kun (who wasn't a "pet" like Nino seemed to be, but he was apparently submissive to Shibasaki-san nonetheless).

They made it to Keiko's room, and Yuriko followed her in, giggling like a school girl. She unzipped the bag as Keiko tried not to sway on her feet from all her champagne.

"Okay, so on Tuesday night, as you know, we're going out for the bachelorette party," Yuriko explained. "It's a pretty tame club as far as the scene goes, and you'll be with us. We'll take care of you, I promise. But I didn't realize until just the other day that there's a theme night on Tuesday. Uniform night!"

"Uniform night?" So they were going to one of... _those_ clubs? Keiko was going to stick out like a sore thumb if she was going to be out and about with Yuriko and her friends.

She watched in surprise as Yuriko let the garment bag fall. "Kou picked it out for you. All I told her was what I thought your size was and what I knew about you and she just got you. She's wonderful that way."

Keiko blinked at the outfit before her, the outfit that Yuriko and her other guests would now be expecting her to wear in just a few short days. It seemed to be a fetish version of a sailor-style schoolgirl uniform with a ridiculously short red leather skirt, a white top with a plunging neckline, a red collar, and a purple bow. Yuriko also held up a pair of elbow-length white gloves. 

"Is this from Sailor Moon?" Sailor Moon for grownups, Keiko thought nervously.

"Sailor Mars, actually," Yuriko explained, wiggling the costume on its hanger. "You're going to look so cute!"

Keiko accepted the hanger, chewing her lip. It could be worse. She didn't have to go to the bachelorette party in tight latex. "Thank you, Yuriko-san. I'm sure it'll be a fun time."

Yuriko wished her a good night and headed down the hall to the suite she and Nino were sharing. Keiko blinked away the memory of the sex swing Aiba-san had gone on and on about, shutting and locking her door. She brought the silly costume into the bedroom, opening up the closet.

Inside she'd hung up all the clothes she'd brought, simple dresses and skirts. Plain colors, simple patterns. Cotton cotton cotton! As she hung up the Sailor Mars costume next to it, she realized just how out of her element she was here. And yet Yuriko believed in her, had treated Keiko kindly (at least her own odd version of kindness). She owed it to Yuriko to work hard, even if it meant wearing a costume. Even if it meant enduring days of people who spoke so frankly about their sexual habits and fetishes.

Still a little woozy from drinking, she filled up one of the supplied glasses in the kitchen with water, sliding open her balcony door and heading out into the night.

The air was so clean and fresh, after both the warmth of the hotel's restaurant and the heated, downright naughty conversation there. She moved to the edge of the deck, setting down her glass and sighing happily. This was a nice place, a straight view to the beach and the water beyond. The price was right too, she thought with a grin, knowing she'd never go to the expense of staying at a place like this, especially since she was single.

She sipped her water, looking forward to the following day, and a few minutes later she heard the other balcony door slide open. "Oh," Sho said when she turned. "I'm sorry to bother you."

He made to go back in, but Keiko waved her hand. "No, it's fine. Please come on out. The air is great."

"So it is," Sho said, looking downright normal after the evening she'd been through. Most of Yuriko's friends, men and women both, wore designer clothes that probably cost what would be an entire paycheck for Keiko. She had to admit that Sakurai-san seemed more in her bracket of living, even if he looked a little underdressed in comparison to everyone she'd met at dinner (the groom and his t-shirt aside).

He moved to the balcony beside her, exhaling in seeming relief and leaning on his elbows. He seemed in good spirits, which Keiko imagined was her fault. She'd lost track of how many drinks she'd poured for him in lieu of making conversation with the middle-aged retired dominatrix who'd been sitting on her other side. 

"Kitagawa-san, have you ever been to a dinner like that before?"

With millionaires and TV stars and people who tied one another up for fun? "What do you think?"

He looked at her with a knowing smile, and since her alcohol intake had lowered her inhibitions, she smiled right back at him. Co-conspirators, the two of them. The two outsiders of the raucous group. Sakurai Sho was cute, if a little awkward. Keiko would be glad to spend the week as his neighbor, if only for the blessed normalcy of the man.

"What was waiting for you at the concierge?" he asked.

She merely brought a finger to her lips. "Secret."

He laughed. "Unlike most of our company, you don't reveal all your cards at once."

She took another sip of water, listening to the sounds of a few people down below splashing around in the hotel's pool. "Who knows? Maybe by the end of the week we'll change and tell all our secrets. They might rub off on us."

"Literally," Sho replied before wincing. "Sorry, sorry. It's not every day my friend's fiancee sits on my lap."

"It's not every day that you work for someone like Yuriko-san." She chuckled, raising her glass. "To a week full of weird," she toasted.

He raised an invisible glass of his own. "To a week full of weird. Cheers to you."

\--

Sho woke with a slight chill. He'd slept with the balcony door cracked open the slightest bit, crashing on the ridiculously comfortable couch in the living room. His bed remained completely untouched, and he sighed. He was already getting too relaxed in this slowed down vacation lifestyle.

He got up, heading for the shower. Once he'd dressed, he headed downstairs, finding a small convenience store in the lobby. As part of the package deal Nino had purchased, Sho was entitled to the full buffet breakfast in the restaurant every morning. But he refused to be one hundred percent on vacation. He loaded up a basket with some instant rice and miso, the store not having much by way of fresh ingredients. 

Back in the room he made his own breakfast, desperate to not fail in upholding at least this one routine. The rice ended up slightly overcooked, and the miso was mostly flavorless. Well, Sho decided, maybe it wouldn't hurt to hit the buffet once or twice.

After that disappointment he pulled out his folders and his laptop, already imagining Nino complaining in his ear about Sho working too hard. Maybe he'd go out later, take a nice long walk on the beach. The morning, at least, he could commit to Okada & Morita. 

He easily lost himself in work and the hours slipped by, the breeze keeping the room cool and relaxing. It was just about time for lunch when there was a knock at the adjoining door. Ah, Kitagawa-san, the one person in Okinawa he could count on to be normal right now. He found himself absent-mindedly running his fingers through his hair before opening the door.

But before he could address his new neighbor, Aiba-san came barreling into his room. "You too?" the man cried, seeing Sho's laptop on the coffee table and the papers strewn every which way. "I don't believe this!"

Kitagawa-san appeared behind Aiba, hiding a bit in the doorway, offering Sho a weak smile.

"What do you mean?" Sho asked as the celebrity seemed to have no trouble wandering around and poking at Sho's computer.

He was in undercover celeb mode again, dressed in a t-shirt, baggy jeans, and a Chiba Lotte Marines cap. You'd never know he was on the cover of magazines. "You and Kitagawa-san! Both working!"

"Yuriko-san is my client. I have to help with..." Keiko tried to explain, but Aiba shook his head.

"No no no, I won't hear it!" he insisted. "If I can't get Nino to come, I need to get someone to join us."

"Us?" Sho asked, only to hear the familiar laugh from dinner the night before.

"Whale sharks!" he heard Rola-san giggle as she gently pushed Keiko before her into Sho's room, smiling brightly before oddly sticking out her tongue. "Gosh, Masaki-chan, all these people don't seem to care that they're in Okinawa, huh?"

Keiko saw Sho's laptop and passed no judgment. Had they really both spent their full mornings working? They were even more alike than Sho had realized. "Whale sharks?" Sho asked.

Aiba came up, wrapping an arm around Sho's shoulders. Everyone was rather touchy-feely on this trip. "Ro-chan and I are going up to the aquarium, and it seems like everyone around here was up late doing god knows what. We can't get anyone to come with us!"

Keiko shrugged. "I like aquariums," she admitted, even though from the look on her face he could tell she was a little upset about being interrupted. Sho could recognize a fellow workaholic when he saw one.

Sho looked mournfully at his pile of work. But then he could tell that Aiba Masaki would not be deterred. "You think it's okay to go, even if you're...you know, both famous?"

Rola's hands covered her mouth as she giggled again. "Oh, just let them photograph us, right?"

"Right?" Aiba agreed. The two of them, more laid back than Sho could ever hope to be. And he wasn't even famous! "Better to be photographed on a double date than coming out of a love hotel."

Sho saw Keiko look away at the mention of "double date" but already Rola was giving her a poke in the arm with her pink-polished fingernails. "Come on, Keiko-chan! You even told me about picking me for your campaign! We're destined to be friends, I just know it! Let's spend the day together!"

"Rola-san was kind enough to endorse the shampoo brand I used to work on," Keiko explained.

Aiba clapped his hands. "Alright, alright, we can chat in the car, let's go!"

Sho discovered he wasn't even going to have a moment to change, only having time to hastily grab his wallet and room swipe card before Aiba tugged him into the hall. He and Keiko trailed behind the two lovebirds, who refused to go to the aquarium unaccompanied. Well, Sho thought, a few hours in front of the big tanks would be pretty nice. Work would still be waiting for him when they got back.

They left the hotel corridor behind, although Sho distinctly heard the sounds of what could only be sex behind several doors. In the middle of the day. These people couldn't get enough of each other. Sho felt the slightest pang of loneliness creep back into his heart as they rode the elevator down and headed for the rented convertible in the parking lot.

Aiba and Rola-san walked hand-in-hand unashamedly despite both being well-known. At his side, Keiko seemed to have a white-knuckle grip on her handbag. Perhaps she too had heard the goings on in the hallway of the hotel. No wonder Aiba was so bored - he had nobody else to talk to, if the entire wedding party and guests seemed to be more interested in staying in their rooms.

The ride to the aquarium in Motobu on the northwest part of Okinawa Island took a good hour, but Aiba enjoyed showing off the benefits of convertible rentals, leaving the top down as they drove up the coastal highway. He and Rola-san chatted merrily about the whale sharks and other aquarium tank dwellers, the two of them seeming more like a couple of excited kids than two adults in a relationship, but Sho couldn't help envying their simple happiness.

He and Keiko stayed in the back seat, and he couldn't help but watch his quiet companion, her long black hair flying around in the breeze. For the first few minutes of the ride, he watched her try to tuck her hair behind her ear, moving it away from her face as Aiba picked up speed but she finally gave up and let it fly freely. Between the loneliness of his solitary hotel room and a year without anyone in his life, it was all too easy to be drawn into her orbit, into the simple act of watching her enjoy the car ride, her soft eyes squinting out into the sunshine at the waves crashing into the shore.

He'd only known Kitagawa Keiko for a day, barely any time at all. Then he thought back to Yuriko's voice on the phone the previous day, telling him to look for the most beautiful woman at the Haneda gate. He'd found her so easily.

Sho prided himself on being a practical person. But where had practical gotten him so far? It couldn't hurt to just enjoy his week of vacation in the company of a pretty woman, even if they were strangers. At the very least they were strangers in a strange land of celebrity aquarium visitors and the sexually ambitious. They had their ordinariness in common.

Keiko turned then, catching him staring. He looked down, focusing on his sneakers or the back of Aiba-san's head for the duration of the car ride.

\--

A double date, Aiba had so easily called this. Rola-san too, Keiko thought nervously. How could the two of them be so carefree and easy with their famous faces? If anything, she and Sho-san seemed to be the more uptight ones, acting as though anyone might discover them at any moment as they waited in the ticket queue, Aiba insisting on paying for all of them with a rather macho look on his face.

Rola-san was as different from her cool, untouchable ads as Keiko could imagine. She was noisy and silly, immature and a little pushy. She and Aiba had just barged into Keiko's room, demanding she come along to the aquarium. Even though Keiko was very fond of aquariums, she hadn't wanted to be a third wheel. Thus she had sacrificed Sakurai-san, encouraging them to knock on his door and invite him along.

Now here the four of them were, two celebrities arguing over the aquarium map ("The big tank first!" "No way! The coral reef!") while she and Sho hung back. "You brought work with you on vacation?" she asked him, knowing she was equally guilty.

"I haven't been on vacation in a long time," he admitted. "I'm still adjusting to all this free time."

She definitely understood him there. She'd gone on a few girls' weekends here and there, but this was her first full-fledged trip in ages. "You and me both."

He sighed a bit at their present company. "They're never going to decide, are they?"

Keiko found herself grinning, seeing Rola's cheeks puff a bit in protest at all of Aiba's suggestions. "We could always ditch them."

"Us mere mortals? When we could be gazing at whale sharks with the likes of a TV chef and a giggly model?"

"They sure make for an interesting couple."

Sho raised an eyebrow at her. "I think you could say that about everyone staying on our floor at the hotel."

They both seemed to remember at the same moment just what was going on back at the hotel, and they quieted down. Rola won the argument, and they proceeded at once to the room with the large tank, Keiko immediately cheered by the sight of the three whale sharks swimming slowly around with smaller schools of fish trailing them. The room was a solid, beautiful blue, the glow of the tank leaving everyone in the vicinity in shadow.

They'd come at a busy time, a Sunday afternoon. A crowd of tourists had clustered up at the front of the tank, unmoving, and Keiko hung back, standing up on her tiptoes to try and get a better look. Eventually she heard her name in a rather noisy whisper, finding Sho all the way up at the front waving her forward. She hurried over before the spot he'd found for her was taken, squeezing in between him and a guy with a massive camera. As the tourist adjusted his lenses, swinging his camera back and forth, she found herself having to stand closer to Sho, taking her purse from her shoulder and holding it down to give them some breathing room.

She suddenly felt his hand on her arm. "Here, you stand in front," he said quietly, moving behind her so she could watch the tank.

"Oh, thanks," she said in gratitude, still feeling the slight warmth where he'd touched her. It was chilly inside the aquarium, but Keiko didn't seem to be feeling it now, thankful for the relative darkness of the room.

Since she was little she'd loved coming to aquariums, content to watch the creatures in the tanks circle them on a constant loop. The whale sharks, massive and spotted, were the kings of the tank, gently swimming their way around. The manta rays glided serenely through the water, some of them flipping in a graceful arc, while clusters of tiny fish patrolled the areas remaining to them. Then there were a few other fish who seemed to be content to stay still, resting at the bottom of the tank without moving a muscle.

She forgot her worries about promoting Yuriko's products, forgot the lonely feelings that attending a wedding solo surrounded by couples induced in her. Instead she allowed herself to get lost in the deep sea. She put her focus on one fish, watching it loop around until another caught her eye, floating somehow to the beat of the light, ambient music that was piping into the room through the speakers. One fish became another fish of interest, then another.

Before she knew it, the crowd of people around the tank slowly started to change. The photographer vanished, replaced by a father explaining the whale sharks to his young son. She turned, realizing she'd overstayed her welcome at the front of the tank only to find Sho still standing diligently behind her, hands in his jean pockets. She looked around, embarrassed at her selfishness, unable to find Aiba or Rola anywhere.

"They headed off for the coral reef a while ago," he explained.

She felt her face grow hot. "How long was I standing there gaping at the fish?"

He held up his wrist, pointing to his watch with a grin. "Forty-seven minutes."

Keiko immediately moved away from the glass. "Oh my god..."

He followed her, heading through the blue shadowy room with amusement in his voice. "What? You looked so happy, I didn't want to interrupt."

But he stood there for the better part of an hour? Waiting for her when he could have been enjoying the other exhibits? "Sakurai-san, I'm so sorry..."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently as they entered the next room. 

She walked a little quicker between tanks now, eyes lingering only a short while on jellyfish and coral reef recreations. Sho-san had waited for her, quietly and without judgment. She couldn't help remembering a date she'd been on a year or two earlier, one of those her "Kitagawa, stop being so serious!" friends had set up for her. It had been the quickest trip through an aquarium she'd ever experienced, as her date had been more interested in trying to get her to a hotel with him. The memory made her more angry than sad now.

They covered the entire aquarium, and she couldn't help teasing Sho when they passed by a tank full of giant crabs. He crouched down and hid behind her, saying they were "good to eat, unpleasant to look at up close." A grown man, scared of crabs behind glass! Just one more odd thing about him. After at least another full hour of moving from exhibit to exhibit, they finally happened upon Aiba and Rola, sitting together on a bench outside the aquarium's restaurant with sullen faces.

Keiko felt immediately ashamed. "We're so sorry! It's my fault entirely, we didn't mean to lose you."

Aiba waved off her concerns. "No, please have a good time. It's actually Rola-chan..."

The model, with her normally flawless, gorgeous face, was looking a little green. Even her trademark cheek puffs were at 50% effort. "I think it was the breakfast buffet," she said, her voice low and miserable. "I don't know what it was, but it's not agreeing with me."

"We can all head home," Sho said immediately. "If Rola-san is sick, we should definitely go back."

"I'm not sitting in that convertible for an hour," she moaned, clutching her stomach. Keiko held back the urge to roll her eyes. The top could easily be put up on the car! And wouldn't the open air do her good if she was ill?

Aiba looked apologetic. "We didn't have your phone numbers or we would have told you. I'm glad you found us now because we were going to have the staff page you in a minute or two. We're taking a taxi back..."

"Wait...what?" Sho interrupted. "What about the rental car? There's room for all of us, and Rola-san can lie down in the back, right?"

Aiba, as casual and unconcerned as he'd been all day, fished around in his pocket and tossed Sho the car keys. "It's only what, 3:00? Stay, enjoy the rest of the day."

"I'm not insured on this car," Sho mumbled. Aiba and Rola were leaving them alone here?

"That's no big deal, I trust you." After knowing him for a day!? Aiba would not be deterred, his phone buzzing. "That would be the taxi company. Honestly, the directions back to the hotel are programmed into the GPS. You'll be fine. I can just tell that Keiko-chan isn't close to being done looking at the fish, right?"

"Aiba-san..." Keiko stuttered.

He got up, helping Rola to her feet. "Really, it's okay! We'll see you back at the hotel!"

And just like that, the two of them were gone, leaving Sho and Keiko in the middle of the aquarium alone. "How do you like that?" Sho muttered, dumbfounded. He jingled the keys in his hands. "We have a convertible."

"We have a convertible," she echoed.

He shook his head. "This is why celebrities have managers, I think. To avoid situations like this."

She nodded, looking around. The aquarium would be open for another few hours, and Keiko did have to admit that Aiba was partially right. There were still plenty of exhibits she hadn't looked at. Before, Keiko had been able to rationalize the day - they were here to accompany Aiba and Rola. But now they were here, just the two of them, surrounded by families and couples on dates. 

"We can stay as long as you want," Sho said, looking at her kindly. She knew there was a ton of work he probably wanted to get back to, but he was being a real gentleman. He had been all day, indulging her as they wandered through the exhibits. It was almost too much to handle. Keiko wasn't used to this sort of thing at all anymore.

She decided to compromise. "How about we see what we haven't seen yet and then head back?"

"Sure you don't want to check out the big tank again?"

She couldn't bear the thought of him standing around waiting so patiently again, having already been dragged to this place at the last second. "It's either the big tank or the crabs again," she teased, watching him shudder.

He started to walk, heading for the deep sea exhibit. "Crabs are no joke, Keiko-san. Let's go."

She laughed, hurrying after him.

\--

It was irrational, Sho decided, falling so easily for Keiko-san. But yet he'd done exactly that the entire afternoon. Sure there'd been fish and other marine life, but the exhibit that most caught his eye was his companion's face, the way it seemed to change as soon as she stood in front of the tank glass. Her eyes lit up, her rather serious expression becoming a non-stop smile. 

And now they were alone.

Was it really a date now? Sho wasn't too sure. It had been ages since he'd even been on one. In the last few months he and Asami had been together, he'd been pretty terrible in that department. They'd go to dinner, maybe take a walk around the neighborhood, but Sho had always come up with excuse after excuse to not do much more. He kept putting work ahead of her, and he'd been an ass to do so.

Maybe he could make up for it during this short week with Keiko. Maybe he could remember how to be a decent guy again. 

They went through the aquarium at a steady pace, Aiba's car keys heavy in his pocket. He prayed the GPS had been programmed accurately. He wouldn't know what to do if he got them lost. She finally turned to him at the end of their last exhibit, looking a little tired.

"You know," she said, "we didn't even eat lunch, did we?"

She was right, of course. "Should we eat at one of the overpriced restaurants here or stop on the way back?"

She smiled. "I think you have your answer already."

They headed back to the parking lot, skipping the crazed group of noisy children and harried parents running around the gift shop. He got behind the wheel of the convertible, suddenly feeling more nervous than he had the whole day.

She patted him on the shoulder. "It's not every day you get to show off in a car like this, right? You can do it, Sho-san."

Her encouragement was more than enough to motivate him. More than enough to make his heart beat a little faster. Together they got the GPS going, and he pulled back onto the highway. It took all his concentration to stay focused on the road rather than on the palm trees, ocean, and long stretches of sand. It was even more difficult not to watch _her_. After the long day of walking through exhibit after exhibit, Keiko reclined the seat beside him slightly, putting her feet up on the dashboard, crossing her ankles the way Rola had on their way up here earlier that day.

The Kitagawa-san beside him was relaxed, happy, letting the wind mess her hair without a single worry. He decided then and there, as the GPS beeped out directions for him, that maybe he should take a chance on her. He enjoyed her company, found her effortlessly beautiful. From the second they'd met, they'd had a lot in common, from their devotion to work to being unattached to their shared naivete about their hosts. And here they were in paradise (despite the gaudy billboards on the highway and the tourists with their cameras).

When they stopped at a greasy spoon diner for a meal, she tried to pay for her share and he refused. Their fingers touched when he grabbed the check, and he decided to just go for it, which for Sakurai Sho was an impulsive act almost unheard of. It had taken him months to gather up the courage to ask Asami out. Maybe Okinawa was doing something to his brain.

"I had a nice time with you today," he said. "If you're not busy tomorrow, would you like to spend some more time together?" He backtracked a little at the slightly stunned look on her face. "I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you had other plans with Yuriko-san or whatever..."

"I'd like that," she said quietly. "I'd really like that, actually."

He let out a breath in relief at her response. "Great. Let me just go pay and we can get going."

The air in the car was a bit more charged as they continued their way south back to the resort. Tomorrow he'd see her again. Tomorrow he'd have to come up with some sort of plan to impress her. He had his laptop - he was already a step ahead of the game, research-wise. Sho rested his left hand on the gear shift, tapping his fingers nervously. He saw that Keiko's fingers were lingering, tapping on the edge of her own seat. He itched to grab her hand but held himself back. In just two days, Sho had found someone amazing, someone he was comfortable talking to, someone he was comfortable remaining in silence around. He wanted to know her better.

When they parked in the lot, he cleared his throat nervously, telling her not to move when he shut the car off. He exited hurriedly, running around so he could open her door for her. 

"You didn't have to..."

"I wanted to," he said quietly.

"Oh."

They walked back into the hotel, side by side, neither of them making another move. It had been tricky enough, nerve-wracking enough to get to this point, Sho decided. He knew Kitagawa-san was devoted to her job - had she been alone as long as he had?

"Do you know which one is Aiba-san's room?" he asked as soon as the elevator dropped them off at their floor.

But before she could answer him, one of the doors opened and out came Rola, dressed in a polka-dot bikini and holding a bottle of wine. And, Sho noted, looking perfectly healthy. "Masaki-chan, Yuriko had the wine we wanted..."

The door just opposite Rola-san opened, revealing Aiba himself in a pair of swim trunks and holding a picnic basket, as though they were both on their way to a romantic meal on the beach. "Sho-chan!" Aiba sputtered, nearly dropping the picnic basket. "We...we didn't expect you two back for a while yet."

"I got better!" Rola declared, holding up a peace sign.

"That's great," Keiko said diplomatically. 

"Thanks for the car," Sho chimed in, fishing the keys out of his pocket and tossing them over.

"Right," Aiba said, him and Rola bouncing their way back down the hall. "See you later!"

"I got _really_ better!" Rola shouted over her shoulder needlessly, Aiba hushing her with a giggled warning.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, he turned to look at Keiko. "I think we've been tricked," he said.

She smiled a bit shyly. "I think you're right."

"All tricks aside, can I still see you tomorrow?"

She pulled her room key out of her purse, flashing it over the reader on her door. "You know where to find me."

\--

As soon as Keiko found herself in the room, she was shaking in surprise, beaming from ear to ear in what to her was silly, uncharacteristic joy. Just yesterday morning she'd been miserable and lonely in rainy Tokyo. Things certainly had changed for the better.

Of course, there was still plenty of time for Sho-san to change his mind. Her laptop was still where she'd left it, all set for her to spend hours on work. Maybe he wasn't looking for someone like her, someone so serious and mostly lacking in the feminine charm department. Maybe he was just looking for some fun in the sun, and she just happened to be the only fun available.

Oh, stop it, Kitagawa, she chided herself. He'd been close to perfect at the aquarium, an entertaining dining companion at the diner (a full hour about rocking chairs and she hadn't grown bored once), and he'd focused on the road and not on looking for places along the way to pull over and make a move. Although she had found herself wondering during the car ride home if he would in fact make a move. She'd also discovered that she wouldn't be so averse to him trying.

It was moving much quicker than Keiko was used to, but she wasn't complaining. Tomorrow they'd spend more time together, just the two of them. No Aiba and Rola-san faking an illness to push them together, although Keiko had to admit that it had led to nothing but good things. It was like the others in the party were cheering them on in some way.

Well, she decided, no matter what happened between her and Sho-san over the next few days, she'd just have to let it happen. Keiko lived by solid work deadlines and planning things diligently. Things like fate, things like her and Sho-san, two single people with something in common just happening to be neighbors in the hotel on this strange vacation...Keiko had never put stock in coincidences like these before. 

She was invited to a late dinner with Kou-san and Matsumoto-san at a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel, the two of them having heard she was in advertising and wanting to know a little more about it. Despite her first impressions of both Kou-san and her boyfriend, they were relatively subdued in comparison to the bride and groom.

The pair had met while Kou-san was launching her fashion line, Matsumoto-san a fashion designer in his own right. It certainly explained their clothes - Matsumoto in a rather loud jacket and tight designer jeans, Kou in a form-fitting dress and knee-high boots. Away from the hotel and in more mixed company, Kou did not see much need to feed her boyfriend in front of anyone. Instead they spoke animatedly about clothing, taking turns shoving their phones at Keiko to get her input on a few designs they were considering and asking what kind of apparel clients Dentsu worked for. Despite dining with a couple, they made her feel completely welcome. They made it halfway through the meal before the topic of Sho-san came up.

"And your friend, the polo shirt from last night?" Kou asked, taking a sip of beer.

"What about him?" Keiko blurted out a little too quickly. She had to stop drinking so much on this vacation or she'd spill everything to anyone who'd listen.

Jun grinned. "She's done it again, hasn't she?"

"Hmm?" Keiko asked while Kou and Jun exchanged a look.

Kou shook her head. "Yuriko," she said. "She's playing her favorite game. She just so happened to introduce me to someone at an opportune time too, hint hint."

Jun continued. "I got a call one day about a year ago from someone called Yoshitaka of the Snake and Earring Club. Never heard of her before, but she said she was a fan of my newest line. And she's got a friend looking for a partner to start a line of adult cosplay and fetish wear."

"And two months later," Kou said, ruffling Jun's hair. "He was all mine."

Was everything with Sho-san a ploy by Yuriko? Was it just an attempt at matchmaking? Keiko shook her head. "Yuriko-san is a client. We have a professional..."

"You're young and beautiful, he's gorgeous and looks pretty malleable," Kou teased. "Go for it."

Jun smiled, pulling out his business card and sliding it across the table. "Maybe you can get him out of that polo shirt. Fashion-wise, of course."

"Of course," Kou chimed in, giving her boyfriend a rap across the knuckles for his implication. 

Keiko spent the rest of the meal trying to deny what was becoming so obvious. The same flight, the adjoining rooms, the overflowing condom baskets. She and Sho were being set up.

But, she realized as she walked back to the hotel with Kou and Jun, maybe Yuriko had pegged her completely right. Kou and Jun had been nothing but a Yuriko set-up, and they were a perfect match. Intelligent, witty, and had what she assumed was quite a happy life behind closed doors. 

Were Sho and her a perfect match too?


	4. Chapter 4

Storm clouds rolled in on Monday morning, a clap of thunder waking Sho with a start. He frowned immediately, thinking of the file he'd created on his computer. They would have taken a cab or a bus back north to the Yanbaru Subtropical Park. Sho had planned the trip down to the minute. A change of scenery from the endless beaches, he'd had his heart set on perusing the botanical garden and enjoying the deep forest. His plans for the afternoon, depending on Keiko's wardrobe, had involved a hike to Hiji Falls, maybe a picnic.

Well, they'd be soaked and covered in mud if they tried to go to either place now, he thought sadly, watching the rain cascade down outside the sliding door glass. The forest and hiking were out, the beach was definitely out. He sighed, preparing more of the subpar miso he'd bought the previous morning.

As he made his way through yet another disappointing breakfast, he hurriedly went back through his search history from last night. Sho spent so much of his life indoors, whether at home, work, or the gym that an outdoor excursion had seemed to make perfect sense. Checking the weather report, however, had not been on the agenda - even the weather widget on his phone was still set to Tokyo.

There was the prefectural museum down in Naha. Keiko-san would probably be bored with something like that. There were shopping malls there too, but there wasn't much that was unique or interesting about that either, especially since they were both from Tokyo, which had everything.

He went to the hotel's website, desperately looking for any other ideas. Unlike the other guests, who were probably enjoying their personal time and would spend the day indoors doing god knows what, he and Keiko didn't have that option. Well, they did, Sho thought with a bitter smile, envisioning the basket of condoms still sitting unused on his kitchen counter. But that was being way too presumptuous. 

He found himself getting lost, clicking absent-mindedly around the website, his thoughts drifting inappropriately to the woman just on the other side of the door. He itched to unlock that adjoining door, leave it unlocked for the rest of the week. If she wanted to come in, she'd only have to knock. Or just barge in. His fingers stalled on the laptop's trackpad, imagining Keiko starting her morning routine, Keiko padding around her room in bare feet. He couldn't help wondering how she dressed for bed, what her face looked like upon waking. Eventually she had to get in the shower...

There was another crack of thunder, jolting him from his daydreaming. If anything, Keiko was looking out the window in dismay, just like he was. And she probably wasn't picturing _him_ walking around in his underwear or even less.

He blinked a few times, looking back at the screen. "Come enjoy our library! Read about Okinawan culture or sit and watch the beautiful sea!"

"Library," Sho murmured out loud. Sure enough, there was a small library on site at the resort for guests. They could get out of the building, away from the reminders that lingered in the other rooms on their floor. Did she like to read? Would she bring her own work to do? At the very least they could relax there until the weather cleared up (if it ever planned to).

He showered and dressed, full of energy again. Did it really matter where they went? He'd get to see her again, get to learn more about her. He'd wanted to from the moment he'd spotted her in the airline terminal, even if he hadn't realized it. So what if Yuriko-san probably had a hand in this whole thing? It had let him meet someone wonderful, someone he hoped might still be interested in him when the concrete and glass of Tokyo replaced the palm trees of Okinawa.

He knocked on her door late in the morning, having waited until he could hear her stirring in the other room, could hear the weather report coming from her TV. She was all dressed for the day in a lacy white blouse, a light blue skirt, and sandals. All ready for the open air, even now.

"I had all these plans," he admitted to her, leaning against the doorframe. "Unfortunately most of them have fallen through."

She shrugged. "We could reschedule? Tomorrow, before the parties?"

He gathered his courage. "Are you doing work? I still have some things to do, but I'm tired of being cooped up in here. There's actually a library on the resort grounds, might be a nice change of scenery. I was going to pack up my computer and head down there, if you want to come along?"

Her mood seemed to lighten at that. "Oh really? Well I do have work but..." He watched her cheeks turn pink. "It's mostly work for Yuriko, if you catch my drift."

He smiled. She'd filled him in on a few details of her quest to find "Puppy Play's perfect and as-of-yet untapped audience," and he had to admit that the thought of someone as proper and collected as Keiko browsing through porn sites and adult message boards amused him greatly. It also did a little bit more than amuse.

"I'm sure they have some other books to go through, if you're a reader?"

She smiled, seemingly grateful. "I'm a big reader."

He was relieved. Their entire day hadn't been ruined. She waited for him with an umbrella while he packed up his laptop bag, and they headed downstairs. From the lobby, it was a pretty short jaunt across the grounds to the library. Even now Sho could spy a small wooden building with a sloping tile roof. 

Keiko put up the umbrella, and he got ready to run, laptop bag slung across him. "You can share, you know," she offered. "If you don't mind moving at my pace?"

He hunkered down under the umbrella with her, and they moved as quickly as they dared, dodging puddles and laughing when they didn't do such a good job of it. Even with the umbrella and huddling pleasantly close, the bottoms of Sho's jeans were pretty wet when they made it to the porch of the library. Nobody else had seemed to show an interest in venturing out here that day, and the place was empty. The door was shut and the lights were off inside, but a quick swipe of his room key granted them access.

It wasn't a large room, but there was a pair of old, dependable-looking leather lounge chairs in the center of the room, two walls lined with equally worn shelves packed to bursting with books, and a small work table with a wooden chair. He wondered if the shelves were populated by cast-offs from hotel guests over the years. He set his bag down in one of the chairs, following Keiko over.

He watched her eyes as they perused the slapdash collection, some Okinawan folktales placed next to some English language novels with Dazai Osamu shelved beside them. She reached quickly for a Takarazuka reference guide, pulling it to her.

"Big fan?" he asked her.

"Huge fan," she replied, smiling happily as she brought it over to one of the chairs. "So I guess I'm going to read, and you're going to work? That's not too disappointing?"

As he settled down in the chair beside her, pulling his laptop out of the bag, he didn't find it disappointing at all. It wasn't a hike, it wasn't a garden, but here they were, all by themselves once more in this cozy room full of old paper. If he looked out, he could see the ocean, even as the storm kept blowing through, swaying the trees between the library building and the beach.

"It's nice and quiet here," he told her. "A vacation from my vacation, I guess."

She grinned, slipping off her sandals and curling up in the oversized chair. It nearly dwarfed her, and he resisted the urge to say "cute!" in her general direction. He stretched out his legs, to hell with decent posture, and he got working. But even as he got drawn in to file after file of Okada & Morita, he could hear her turning pages beside him, could watch the way she twisted bits of her long, dark hair around her fingers while she read. Before too long he was spending more time watching her enjoy her simple happiness than doing what he'd come to do.

Before she caught him staring, he offered to run over to the hotel and pick them up some sandwiches. She forced him to borrow her umbrella, pink though it happened to be, and he returned. They sat out on the library porch barefoot, the rain still falling, trickling down the overhanging roof and splattering against the deck just inches away. They watched people coming and going from the hotel, hurrying to their cars or a waiting taxi. 

He hadn't felt so comfortable, so relaxed in a long time. Just her company, the gentleness of her presence at his side, made his heart ache the slightest bit. He told her about high school, meeting Okada and the odd path that took him to working for him. He explained warily about Nino's "friendship" and all the games that his voice was now a part of. She explained more about her job, about having grown up in Kobe. He'd gone to an all-boys school and she an all-girls school, which probably said a lot about their mutual difficulties in knowing just what to say to the opposite sex.

By the time dinner rolled around and he offered to do another sandwich or restaurant run, she grabbed hold of his sleeve when he made to get up.

"Just a few more minutes? Just a few more like this, Sho-san?"

He sat down again, a little closer this time, their thighs almost touching. A man with more confidence would have put an arm around her, maybe even kissed her when the sun finally started to break from behind the gray clouds after hours of rain. Instead they sat, long past dinner and then past sunset, sharing their lives.

When they finally could bear it no longer, stomachs rumbling, he put his bag back over his shoulder, and they put their shoes back on. People were still coming and going from the resort, but all he knew was Keiko with her shy smile.

He started walking down the mostly sodden path, turning and holding out his hand. "Don't want you to slip in the mud, especially with those shoes."

She took his hand easily, and even when they'd passed the worst of it, she didn't make a move to let go. He smiled, feeling her small, soft hand in his own. Together they crossed back to the lobby, and she only slipped away when the elevator arrived at their floor, Nino finding them with wry amusement in his eyes.

"Ah, there you are, Sho-chan," his friend said, absorbing the developing situation instantly. "You weren't swept out to sea."

"No," he replied, already missing her even though she was still beside him. "No, we're still fine."

"Great," Nino said. "I'm taking Aiba's car down to Naha. There's this hole in the wall soba shop I have to try. You're coming with me."

"What? Now?" he thought, panicking. Sho wasn't sure exactly what his plans with Keiko had entailed post-library, but they certainly did not include leaving her here so abruptly to drive an hour away for crappy food.

But she smiled, nodding at Nino. "You're on groom's rules this week, Sho-san. Be kind to your host."

"See, this girl gets me," his friend said, pulling out the familiar keys to the convertible. "Let's go, I'm hungry and I have an idea for a game, so let me bounce some ideas off of you."

"I'll talk to you later," she said, waving to them both. "Have a good time."

Then Nino led him away, away from the promise of Keiko and whatever the future held. Well, Sho decided, the future could be on hold at least for dinner.

\--

She called up for room service, settling in for a long night in front of her laptop with nothing but Puppy Play on her mind. Puppy Play and Sho, Keiko corrected herself. It had been a calm, relaxing day despite the weather. She couldn't stop thinking about his strong, but gentle hand escorting her back. She'd decided that afternoon: the last thing she could do was let a guy like Sakurai Sho get away.

The hours passed, and there was still no noise coming from the room next to her. She was about to dress for bed when a call came up from the front desk just after midnight: "Yoshitaka-san has requested that you join her down by the indoor pool."

Keiko frowned. The last thing she wanted was to swim at this hour, but Yuriko was her hostess, and she couldn't turn her down. At the very least, she could get some confirmation about the real reason for her matchmaking habits.

She changed into her swimsuit, a little bit tamer than the one she'd seen Rola-san sporting the day before. It was a purple bikini top with matching boy shorts, and she put on a long t-shirt and another pair of shorts over it, heading down to the pool. The indoor pool officially closed at 11:00, but the staff member waiting outside the closed doors opened it for her.

"Yoshitaka-san is waiting."

The things money could buy! Even access to a pool after hours.

She didn't find Yuriko poolside, instead hearing a rather noisy "Keiko-chan!" from the hot tub area. It seemed that Yuriko liked both her food and her swimming time extra hot.

Keiko headed over, taking one of the towels from the rack and setting it down on one of the plastic lounger chairs near the hot tub. "Good evening."

"That's your swimsuit?" Yuriko complained, splashing the bubbling water a bit.

Keiko grinned, slipping out of her other clothes and setting them beside her towel. "Better?"

"Ugh, much better! Now get in, let's chat!"

Keiko couldn't help but obey, feeling the sting of the hot water before settling down beside Yuriko. She leaned back, trying to relax. "We had a nice outing at the aquarium yesterday." She decided to just bring it up. "It was just too bad that Rola-san got sick."

Yuriko laughed. "Oh their acting was probably terrible. Aiba-chan needs to stick to cooking, I think."

Keiko focused on the bubbles. "Yuriko-san, are you trying to set me and Sho-san up?"

Her companion twisted a wet tendril of hair around her finger, cocking her head. "Is it working?"

I don't need a matchmaker, Keiko wanted to say. I'm here to work for you, she wanted to say. But then she thought of Sho-san's kind eyes, his warm smile. "Too early to say," she mumbled, not wanting to really confess how much she already liked the guy one locked door away.

"Hmm," was all Yuriko could say in reply.

The two of them relaxed quietly, and for some reason, Yuriko seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked downright annoyed. She wondered if she'd said something to offend her. Keiko was just about to get up when the door opened, and she heard distinctly male voices echo off the pool walls. She fought the urge to jump out of the water and tug her t-shirt over her head as she saw Ninomiya-san (in his usual jeans and t-shirt) as well as Sho, clad in a white v-neck tee and bright red swim trunks.

"Where have you been?" Yuriko complained, splashing a bit. "Keiko-chan, forgive me, but my soon-to-be husband distinctly disobeyed my orders!"

Nino rolled his eyes. "What, I did exactly what you said...you can't swim right after you eat so we were playing video games for a while."

Sho looked confused. "What's going on?"

They were being set up...again! Keiko didn't dare move, Sho standing at the edge of the hot tub with a concerned look in his eyes as soon as Yuriko moved, heading out of the water. "Wait," Keiko murmured, but Yuriko merely wrapped herself in a towel (Keiko's towel!) and got her husband-to-be by the ear.

"You're late. And you're going to be punished."

Nino chuckled. "I guess that's my cue. Night, Sho-chan..."

"Just a moment," Sho said, reaching out for the quickly retreating couple. He turned back, and Keiko tried to sink further down in the water, hiding her shoulders.

"I was just...I was going to..."

Sho crossed his arms, looking uncomfortable. "You don't have to leave..."

The pool doors closed again, leaving the two of them inside. Alone once more, but far more tense than earlier that day at the library. For one thing, they were both wearing far less clothes.

"I think, um, I think I'll do some laps for a while?" he said, leaving her where she was and walking over to the pool. 

Without the towel that Yuriko had cruelly and intentionally stolen, she'd have to get up out of the hot tub, potentially showing off a little more skin than she'd intended. Well, they were in a beach paradise, but Keiko hadn't really expected to have a cute, single guy so close, a potential boyfriend even, while she was in her swimsuit. So she stayed in the hot tub, watching with barely contained interest as Sho headed for the pool.

He clearly worked out, Keiko noticed as he slipped out of the tight t-shirt he was wearing, showing off nice abs and muscular arms. She couldn't help watching him walk around the pool, heading for the diving board. With a quick wave in her direction, he dove on in, starting his laps. 

Hmm, she thought, maybe it was safe now to get up and towel off, sit by the poolside and watch him do his laps. It was growing rather stuffy in the hot tub, only more so now that she'd seen Sho-san enter in those trunks.

Just when she was about to get to her feet, she shifted the slightest bit. And then disaster struck. The absolute worst kind of timing for such a disaster. Because, to her horror, Keiko had just discovered the most wondrous jet the hot tub had to offer, and the storm of water had been positioned just right, striking her between the legs and sending a wave of enticing heat throughout her body.

"I should move," she said to herself, knowing she was already past help since she was speaking to herself out loud. I should move. I should extract myself from this situation immediately, her brain pleaded with her.

It was awful, this timing. And Yuriko had been sitting in this same spot in the hot tub only minutes earlier, her face offering no indication that she was being so thoroughly targeted by the evil machinations of the jacuzzi jet. She looked over with panicked eyes to see Sho-san's strong arms and legs lifting out of the water, propelling him back and forth.

It was all she needed to see, and all the embarrassment in the world wasn't enough to keep Keiko from settling herself back down in the water, negotiating herself with a slight lack of grace. One hand was now gripping the rail that could easily help her up and out of the tub, her lower body hopefully hidden by all the bubbling, steamy water as she slightly parted her legs.

The jet was now aimed perfectly, colliding with the thin material of her boy shorts, as though the damn jacuzzi had been designed with this purpose in mind. She tried desperately to keep a straight face, watching out across the rest of the tub to the splashing in the pool. Well, she'd sit for a minute now that she'd discovered it. And Sho-san would be none the wiser.

She'd never done something so filthy in her life, knowingly letting the jet continue funneling the pleasurable churn of water against her body while she watched Sho swim. She thought back to their day at the library together, the way it had felt when they'd held hands. Her dinner with Kou and Jun and their encouragement. Aiba and Rola's poorly enacted "tummy ache." And now this obvious set-up on Yuriko's part.

Keiko inhaled and exhaled slowly, licking her lips in nervous excitement as she watched Sho's graceful body glide through the water like one of the fish they'd watched so innocently together in the aquarium the day before. All this time he'd been hiding _that_ body under his clothes. Keiko shifted slightly, her bottom slipping a bit on the built-in jacuzzi seat and the sensations building between her thighs only increased.

This time she gasped, grateful for the noise her oblivious companion was making in the water. As the pleasurable feelings grew, she couldn't keep from thinking about Sho-san. Sure they'd spent the day together, hours just talking and getting to know each other. But wasn't she jumping the gun with this naughty behavior?

Her body didn't seem to agree with her brain, her fingers moving downward, colliding with the jet of water briefly to ease her shorts aside, baring herself almost completely to the jet without the fabric getting in the way. "Oh!" she cried out, clapping her hand to her mouth.

But Sho kept swimming along like a darned fish. She was breathing heavily now, giving in completely to the best benefit of a near-empty indoor pool. Her fingers moved the swimsuit bottoms aside again, and the jet did its best. It thrummed against her sex with unrelenting heat and intensity, bringing her to heights she usually saved for home, her bedroom door closed to keep a prying Jack out.

Reason slipped away, and the steamy water had already left her mind a bit foggy. All she knew was that she felt wonderful, the thought of Sho being so close while she did this to herself not shameful but all the more exciting. He could get out of that pool at any second, she thought, feeling her legs slip wider apart. His shorts would be soaked, and the material would cling to him. He could catch you doing this. He might see you come...

And like that she was gone, gasping in surprise and letting the wave of pleasure wash over her. Just like that, she'd come. No preparation, no closed doors. No serious Kitagawa planning. Yuriko had wanted this for her. Yuriko wanted Keiko to turn off her thinking mind and let loose. Her body still shaking, she nervously set her shorts to rights, stepping up and out of the water, even though her legs felt like rubber. She padded slowly across the deck to wrap herself in a towel. 

She could still feel the phantom jet pulsing against her, and she walked over to the shallow end of the pool, hoping she didn't look completely crazy. Her body still flush with desire, she sat down, the temperature of the pool feeling ice cold after the constant heat of the hot tub. She let her legs dangle in the water, towel carefully wrapped around her upper half.

Sho eventually noticed her at the side of the pool, paddling over with a smile. "Too much time in the hot tub? You look exhausted!"

"Oh? Do I?" she mumbled.

He laughed. "We keep getting forced into one another's company, don't we, Keiko-san?"

Her legs were still trembling. She hoped he didn't notice. "I don't mind seeing you," she admitted boldly, thanks to the hot tub courage she'd experienced. "Do you mind seeing me?"

He stood up straight, body emerging from the few feet of shallow water. All she could see was the shaky red of his trunks rippling underneath. She couldn't help focusing on his body, the cute way the pool had plastered his hair against his face, the way little beads of water dripped slowly down past his collarbone, down along his arms.

He stared up at her, the water splashing a bit as he moved toward her. She inhaled, holding her breath as he put a hand on either side of her, his chest suddenly pressed against her legs.

"Is this happening too fast?" he asked nervously, looking up at her. "I just met you. But with everything today, the time we spent together, and then Nino brought me down here, and I was ridiculously happy to see you. Is that normal? Is any of this normal?"

She exhaled. "I have no idea. This has never happened to me before. I've been..." Alone for so long, she almost blurted out, but held her tongue.

"Can you..." He looked ridiculously nervous. "Can you leave the towel? Come in with me?"

She kept her eyes down as she unwrapped the towel, setting it aside on the pool deck, stomach tumbling a bit when she heard his intake of breath at the first sight of her mostly bared body. That was a good sign, she decided.

She allowed him to take her hands, helping her to slide into the water. They stood there in the shallow end, the top of her head just about at his chin. He stood with his back to the deep end and slowly, wordlessly, he kept hold of her hands and started walking backwards.

"Sho-san," she murmured as the water grew deeper, and she started to get up on her tiptoes. By the time they made it to the rope that divided the shallow end from the deep, he'd had to release her hands, pulling them up until they were on his shoulders, and he was pulling her by her waist.

"I've got you," he promised her as he slipped them under the rope and the bottom dropped out.

She found herself clinging to him, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. She'd never been so intimate with anyone, never this fast. But there was something worth trusting about Sakurai Sho, even as his eyes darkened with obvious desire for her and he treaded water, keeping them both afloat. She pushed some of his hair away from his face, her fingers slowly tracing against his temple, down to his chin. She was completely reliant upon him holding onto her. She could swim, but she was so focused on his hands, his body pressed against hers that she was fairly certain she'd forget how if he released her.

"Tell me if this is too fast," he said. "We can go back, get out of the water. Wait for a better time."

"I can't think of a better time," she said, immediately chiding herself for how dumb that sounded. 

But Sho didn't think it was dumb at all. Slowly he bridged the distance between them, and she couldn't help tasting the harshness of the pool's chlorine on his lips. It was a gentle, tentative kiss, his mouth barely grazing hers before he moved back, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

Her heart raced. "Don't be..."

This time she met him halfway, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him tighter. How long had it been since she'd even been kissed? It didn't seem to matter now, his small pecks against her lips becoming longer, more confident as they grew more comfortable with the idea. She opened her mouth to him, and he explored eagerly. 

She was just tilting her head back to encourage him to kiss along her neck when the lights in the entire pool went out. Keiko jolted, thrashing a bit in panic. 

"Hey!" Sho shouted into the dark. "Hey, there's still people in here!"

"Sho-san," she whimpered. "Help..."

"I've got you, I've got you," he insisted, his hand stroking her hair to try and calm her, but she needed to be on solid ground. What if they got locked in here for the night?

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry, I need to get out."

"Of course, hold on..."

His grip on her tightened, and he swam with her, her own legs kicking a little pathetically as she moved along with him.

"Here. The edge is right here." His hands were on her, maneuvering her until she found the wall of the pool. He helped her up and out, Keiko feeling much better now that she wasn't floating in the darkness. She heard a bit of sloshing, hearing Sho get out of the water beside her.

"I thought Yuriko paid for this," she heard him grumble. His voice got a little bit further away. He'd gotten to his feet. "This isn't a very nice trick."

She reached out a hand, and he found her, pulling her up. "Do you know where we are?" The last thing they needed to do was run into something, fall into the hot tub or slip on the pool deck.

His hand, wet as it was, held hers tightly. "I'll walk first, just stay with me."

She felt silly, immature, and scared over mostly nothing, and if Sho was as frightened as she was, he didn't let it show. Slowly, they inched their way along the deck. Of course, this was how Keiko's day had to go. All ready for a day alone with Sho-san? They'd been rained out. Their first kiss? Ruined.

Eventually there was a bit of a clang, and Sho cried out in surprise. "Towel rack!"

"Towel rack," she parroted back, the both of them grateful to find towels to wrap around them. "What about our clothes? Our keycards?"

"We'll get someone to put the lights on so we can get them..." He sounded hesitant. "Well, once we find the door."

It didn't take half as long to find their way, knowing there were no watery traps waiting for them between the towel area and the door. They were both in just wet swimsuits and towels, though, and when they made it to the door it was locked.

She felt him squeeze her hand. "They probably saw Yuriko-san and Nino leave and didn't think to check."

Her initial fright was wearing off and wearing off rather quickly now that she was dripping wet and her first romantic encounter in ages had been rudely interrupted. The earlier highs from the hot tub, the feeling of being held in Sho's arms, the touch of his soft lips against hers...that had been stolen from her. She'd waited so long for this. So long for something this perfect.

No more Miss Nice Keiko.

"Oi!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, banging on the pool door with her fist. "There are people in here! Oi!"

Sho started laughing hysterically as she continued to shout, adding to her noise. It took a solid minute of protesting before she could hear hurried footsteps in the hall, a jangle of keys.

Then there was harsh, fluorescent light as the door was flung open, a man Keiko recognized from the concierge looking horrified. "I'm so sorry!" he said, staring at the two of them. "We thought..."

"Turn the lights on!" she demanded, not feeling very polite after the fright she'd just suffered. The employee obeyed, immediately fearing her wrath. The lights were apparently on a timer, only giving them some dim light to work with. Sho, nearly keeling over from laughing, ordered her to stay at the door while he retrieved his things from one of the chairs by the pool, then headed for her own stuff by the jacuzzi.

"Shall I turn on the lights in the shower area so you can clean off?" the employee asked.

"I just want to go to my room," she complained.

Sho kept his distance, clearly trying not to smile as he clutched his t-shirt against him. Keiko pulled her shirt and shorts back on, and the employee led them to a freight elevator so they wouldn't have to stomp through the main lobby.

Despite Keiko's rudeness, the employee escorted them both to their rooms, offering them each a free meal from room service. Keiko was soaking wet, tired, and irritated. She said nothing, swiping her card and entering her room, slamming the door like a child.

She let her wet clothes and the borrowed pool towel hit the floor, her tears of frustration falling before she even closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower.

\--

Did everything he touch have to go so horribly? Sho entered his room, thanking the hotel employee for his assistance. He was still shaking. The lights going out had nearly made him wet himself, which would have been great with a pretty woman in his arms. Thankfully he kept it in and had managed to get the both of them to safety. Much as it had been hysterical to hear her flip on her anger switch and scream their way out of the pool (quiet, calm Keiko bellowing like an old drunk man at a bar), there was little else to be thrilled about.

He sighed, locking the door and heading for the shower. He could still imagine Keiko's body, the way her swim bottoms had clung so perfectly to her hips. He found himself grumbling into the shower spray, knowing just how perfectly their first kiss had gone and how quickly things had turned ridiculous. They should have still been down there, learning one another. Hell, maybe they could have done more than make out in the water.

He'd kissed her. He'd kissed her! And now she was in her room, upset. She could forever link "kissing that Sakurai guy at the wedding" with pure terror. What a wonderful association. Thoroughly clean again, he turned off the shower and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, heading to turn down the bed. 

He'd kissed Keiko, and everything about it had felt right, only for it to be snatched away. Had the universe been trying to tell him something in that moment? Keiko was perfect, everything he wanted. But maybe he didn't deserve perfect? Maybe they were going to get back to Tokyo, and they'd never meet up again. He'd lose her number or get caught up in work and never call her. She'd be off in her high-powered advertising job, surrounded by interesting, creative people. She'd be okay without a boring accountant like him, he supposed.

His wallowing was cut short by a knock at the adjoining door. Here he was, whining about what he'd already lost when she was still on the other side of the wall.

He moved quickly, only realizing that he hadn't bothered to put on his pants or a shirt until he'd already flung the door open. She was standing there with the faint glow of one of the living room lamps behind her, clad in a simple green tank top and matching shorts, her dripping wet hair falling over her shoulders. She looked him up and down before holding out a hair dryer.

"Mine's...not working," she mumbled. "Could I borrow yours?"

The hair dryer fell from her fingers and hit the floor as he moved, forcing himself over her threshold to take her face between his hands. She kissed him back, hard, not the gentle, test drive kisses from the pool. Let the lights go out, Sho decided. Let the hotel go up in flames. This time, he didn't really care.

She moaned, the most perfect sound, arching against him as they stood there in the middle of the room, unwilling to let each other go. He held her against him, his fingers slipping under her tank top to find her soft skin. Her mouth was warm and soft, but she broke away, pressing kisses to his chin, his jaw. In that moment, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just kissing her and going back to his room. He was way past that moment, had been since he'd opened his door and realized he was unwilling to let this chance slip away.

She pressed her body against his, and she had to know how badly he wanted her, had to feel him hard against her. If she said no, she said no. But if she didn't...

She didn't. Slipping out of his arms, they skipped the bedroom and made for her kitchen, the welcome basket still sitting there on the counter. They'd been surrounded by people having sex for days. Even if Keiko didn't have anyone sharing a wall with her, Sho had. He'd heard it from there, had heard it in the halls. Maybe now someone else would have to listen. 

Keiko moved, putting her back to the kitchen counter and pulling Sho along. She put her head back, long wet hair falling away from her shoulders as he tugged up her tank top. Her breasts were small, round, and just right. Her nipples were hard, eager for his attention, and he bent down, bringing the warmth of his mouth against one, hearing her sigh appreciatively. He kneaded the other, squeezing to hear her gasp. He switched to her other breast, taking his time to please her. It had been so long since he'd had sex that he was probably going to embarrass himself - at least he could try and give her a good time first.

He kissed his way down, leaving her breasts, her body quivering as he moved down her stomach. She grabbed him by his hair, tugging him back up to her mouth again. "We've got a few days to find what we like," she admitted, her voice huskier, full of need. "But I don't think I can wait, sorry."

"Don't apologize," he managed to stammer out, leaving her to start digging through the pile of condoms in her own gift basket. Surely there had to be a halfway normal one in the bunch, squinting in the dim light at some flavored ones and some with Hello Kitty. His fingers sent several of them scattering off the counter and onto the floor when she slid her shorts off, kicking them away before starting to tug at his boxers. She'd been so sweet, so shy. His body seemed to roar at the aggression radiating from her now.

He gave up and grabbed the first wrapper in front of him, tearing it open with his teeth as she yanked his boxers to the floor. He stepped out of them, spitting the edge of the wrapper out. "Do you want to go to the bedroom?"

"No," she replied simply, moving to lean forward against the counter and spreading her legs, the bottom of her green shirt just skimming across the top of her perfect ass. Everything about this woman was perfect, except for him not being inside her right then and there.

Their first time, and she wanted it like this. Quick, crude, primal. Fine by him. Clearly what had happened down at the pool had frustrated her, enraged her. She wasn't looking for romance and candlelight, not now. He really owed her better than he was going to give her, he thought nervously, rolling the condom onto himself. He came up behind her, sliding a finger against her shirt, down her spine. "How would you like it?"

She didn't even hesitate.

"Rough."

He pressed up against her, smelling a combination of her sweet shampoo and her wicked need, reaching a hand around to touch her. She was wet, crying out at the feeling of his hand between her legs. He'd have time to find out what she liked, she'd said. Implying that she didn't want this to be the last. They had time, he thought. Plenty of time.

Despite her demands, he positioned himself carefully, slowly entering her from behind as her grip tightened on the sink. She was so warm, so tight, that he almost lost himself then and there. Instead he pushed in and out a few times, letting her adjust to the feeling of him inside her. He put his hands on her hips, feeling her start to push back against him to match his rhythm.

"Keiko," he muttered, shutting his eyes and pulling her against him, deeper and deeper each time. He could hear her breath coming out in rough bursts now, urging him along. Once he thought she'd gotten used to him, he decided to obey her to the letter. She cried out in surprise at the change of pace, but didn't tell him to stop as he moved against her, his fingers digging into her hips, the sound of skin smacking unrelentingly against skin. She wants it rough, give her rough. 

He heard his name then, groaning at the sound of it falling from her lips with such abandon. "More," she demanded. "More!"

But the combination of a warm body after so long and her sultry demands unraveled him, and he couldn't hold out. He came, rocking against her desperately and praying with his last coherent thought that he hadn't been a complete disappointment.

Gently, he moved away from her. "I'll...I'll clean up in my room..."

"Okay," she replied, not having moved an inch.

"Do you want me to..."

"...come back?" she finished for him. "Will you?"

Well, Sho decided, still in a happy daze. She wasn't devastated or anything. A good sign. He dropped a quick kiss to her shoulder, cleaning up in his bathroom before moving back through the two adjoining doors, both thrown wide in their need to be together.

He found her just climbing into bed, still only in the tank top. Of course, he'd walked out and walked back in stark naked, and she didn't freak. Another good sign. She settled down on one half of the bed, patting a spot next to her.

"Usually there's a cat."

"Oh?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I meant my cat. I have a cat. At home." She blushed. "I'm not so good at talking. Um, after."

The woman who'd so easily pulled his boxers to the tile and asked for rough sex in the middle of the kitchen was still there, if her damp, mussed hair and dark eyes were anything to go on. But the sweet Keiko, the one he'd known these past few wonderful days...she was there too. And Sho liked that, really liked that.

"Should I put some clothes on?" he asked.

"Should I?" she asked, cocking her head.

He smiled, climbing into the bed beside her, lying on his back and putting his arms behind his head, thoroughly pleased. And to think, he'd thought it was all over. It was really just beginning.

She shut off the lamp on the nightstand, and for the first time in more than a year, Sakurai Sho fell asleep with his arm wrapped around the body of someone warm and perfect. And his.


	5. Chapter 5

When she woke, she felt strange. It hadn't been a dream, she realized, feeling Sho's arm around her waist. However, Keiko thought bitterly, she had to get up. The itchy contacts in her eyes and her bladder didn't give a damn about her having a man in her bed for the first time in a long time. She still couldn't believe it. She'd honestly just gone to him the night before to get the hair dryer. Honestly! But then everything had happened so quickly, and her body had taken over. 

She slid away from him, hearing him let out a snore that was both cute and a bit disturbingly loud. Moving to the edge of the bed and swinging her legs over, she felt a little sore. Broken in, roughed up. She'd asked for it.

And she'd loved it.

Keiko left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She'd never done something like that before. She'd never been so...dirty, so demanding. She'd never even really spoken her mind in the bedroom, had never been in a relationship long enough to ever make demands. She'd always considered herself fairly traditional, maybe a little boring. Last night had been anything but.

Her shorts were still on the kitchen floor, surrounded by condoms and the wrapper from the one Sho had used. The curtains were wide open, not that anyone would have seen them. The doors between their rooms were how they'd left them, the broken hair dryer dumped unceremoniously on the carpet. "More," she'd asked of him. "More." What had caused such a change? Was it Yuriko's influence? Or was it just the connection she'd forged so quickly, so perfectly with Sho, that gave her the confidence to ask for something different?

She brushed her teeth, remembering Sho's kiss, his mouth on her breasts, Sho inside her with such force. She already wanted him again, wanted a next time. And a time after that. And after that. She shivered, spitting out her toothpaste. Who knew she had this side to her? Keiko certainly hadn't known it.

Calming down, she let Sho sleep, pulling out some clothes and showering. She was just tying her hair back in a ponytail when there was a knock at the door. Sho's door.

Keiko panicked, hurrying through the open adjoining doors as the pounding on the front door continued. "Sho-saaaan!" She looked out the peephole. It was Aiba, with Nino and Matsumoto-kun behind him. "Sho-san, where are you?"

"Oh shit," she whispered, running back to her room. Sho-san was in her bed, naked as the day he was born.

She hadn't wanted to disturb him, and he'd clearly slept right through his buddies knocking on the door. Reluctantly, Keiko shook him awake. Who knew if Nino could get a spare swipe card to burst in to Sho's room? They'd be caught for sure.

"Sho-san," she said, the 'san' sounding almost odd on her tongue now. Too polite, given how they'd spent last night. "Sho-san, wake up."

He had long eyelashes, she noticed, as his eyes finally opened. The first thing he did when he saw her was smile, a boyish toothy grin, and she was tempted to just go lock the adjoining doors and not let him leave her side. But Keiko's newfound aggression didn't go that far.

"Hi beautiful," he said, reaching to tug on a strand of her hair. And then there was another knock and a "Sho-saaaaan!" and he froze.

"It's all of them," she told him. "Nino, Aiba-san, Jun-san..."

He nearly tumbled onto the floor as he rushed out of her bed, gloriously nude and skin flushed. She followed him to the doors between their rooms, just in time for another "Sho-saaaaan, are you hungover?" to come obnoxiously screaming through the room.

She reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Morning breath," he whispered hurriedly.

She kissed him quickly anyway, impulsively turning him around and landing a playful slap on his backside. "See you later." And with that, she closed her adjoining door but didn't lock it.

She stood with her back against it, hearing Sho open the front door moments later, probably having run to his bedroom for some pajamas. His own underwear from last night Keiko could still see next to the dishwasher.

Tonight was the bachelorette party, and at that moment, Keiko realized she didn't want to go. She wanted to be here, in this hotel room, learning every inch of Sakurai Sho's body and letting him learn hers. But he'd be going out with the guys anyway. Who knew when everyone would get home that night?

Keiko spent her morning tidying the room, though not without thoughtfully depositing a few condoms in her bedroom nightstand, a few under her couch cushions, and one particularly ambitious placement on their balcony. Even as she snuck it under one of the flower pots she knew it was risky. But who knew what the rest of the week held?

She was way too distracted for Puppy Play research, instead claiming her free room service lunch thanks to the pool mishap the night before. At that moment, it had felt like everything was going wrong. As if the lights had shut off and the universe was telling her that she and Sho were a mistake. How wrong she'd been.

The weather had cleared up, and Yuriko came knocking around 2:00 PM dressed for the beach. "Keiko-san!" she said, coming right on into the room, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her forehead. "I heard from the staff about the pool." She turned, looking sympathetic. "I know that I've been teasing you this whole week, but I swear, I didn't know they were going to shut the..."

Keiko blinked at her. "Hmm?"

Yuriko's sad look changed in an instant, and she dropped her canvas beach bag to the floor, hurrying forward to envelop Keiko in a warm hug. "Oh my god, you two had sex!"

"What?" Keiko cried, unable to hug back in shock. "No!"

Yuriko pulled away, pressing her hands to Keiko's cheeks and squealing in joy. "You did! You so did, I'm so happy for you!"

Keiko slipped out of Yuriko's grasp, crossing her arms, trying to surreptitiously sniff the air. Did it smell like sex in here? She'd left the balcony doors open to try and air out the room and everything...

"You haven't even noticed!" Yuriko said. "You're not so stiff! You're gorgeous! You're glowing! The 'I had sex last night' glow! Oh my goodness, Keiko, this is wonderful!"

Keiko resented the implication that she hadn't been gorgeous before having intercourse, but Yuriko was as thrilled as Keiko felt inside, so she probably didn't mean anything cruel by it. "We are going to sit on the beach, and you are going to tell me all about it," she said, heading right for Keiko's bedroom without permission and digging around for her other swimsuits. "Everybody at the club is going to want you tonight, but you're taken taken taken! And that'll make you even hotter!"

"Yuriko-san..."

But there was no arguing. Keiko soon found herself arm in arm with Yuriko, claiming an umbrella and laying out blankets by the water, Kou-san joining them and forcing Keiko onto her tummy so she could slather sunscreen on her back and legs with expert precision.

"Sho-kun, Sho-kun," Yuriko mused, digging her toes into the hot sand. "He strikes me as missionary style, through and through."

"You're just saying that because he's a polite, innocent lamb," Kou chastised her friend.

"What?" Yuriko protested. "Precious boy is an _accountant_ , Kou-chan. He's the type who wants to do things 'the right way' the first time and maybe every subsequent time unless you tell him. Come on, Keiko, don't be shy! Did he get you on your back, freeze up, and apologize when it was over? Nino says he's been single for a long time and not the one night stand-type...but that's okay, I can give you some tips, make it amazing next time. We can get him trained, no problem."

"Yuri, you're awful," Kou chided. But then she gave Keiko a wicked smile. "I bet he let you ride him."

Keiko just shook her head, more embarrassed with every comment they made. How easily these two could talk about sex! 

"What about his body?" Kou tried. "Nice body?"

"Very nice," Keiko admitted quietly, wishing she had a giant sun hat to block her face.

They stopped prodding her after that, Kou giving her a wink and moving the conversation to that night's bachelorette party. They were renting a limo and driving down for dinner and a visit to the S&M club in Naha, the Ripened Peach. Aiba-san had apparently coordinated something for the guys to do, and they'd already left. Keiko tried not to show her disappointment, not knowing when she'd get to see Sho again. It was so unlike her, too. With other boyfriends she could have gone days without seeing them face to face. Maybe this guy was different...

They eventually headed into the water, the pull and push of the waves powerful enough to keep Kou and Yuriko closer to shore, splashing each other but Keiko waded out just a little further, just until she was on her tiptoes. She remembered the time in the pool before it had all gone south, Sho's strong arms around her. The first kiss they shared.

"Keiko! Look out!" Yuriko shouted.

She turned just in time for a larger wave to smash into her. But when she surfaced, she couldn't help but laugh. She was in the water, the sun shining down on a beautiful day. She was making friends, odd ones, but friends nonetheless who cared about her in their way. And then there was Sho, with his snores and his pretty eyelashes, his black hair against her pillow. This was probably the best vacation of her life.

\--

Sho thought Matsumoto Jun was going to stage a bachelor party coup d'etat. The two of them stood back while Aiba and Nino banged on the drum video game for the sixth time. For the first part of the day, they'd taken the bus down to Naha and were in a mall arcade, a few of Yuriko's other male friends having already ditched them for the department store next door. Even though Nino made video games for a living, he didn't see much need to be away from them.

It had been more than an hour in the arcade already, Matsumoto looking more and more sour as time went on. Sho had invited the guy to a round of air hockey and had received the most vicious death glare of his life. Well, he could kind of understand him. It wasn't a traditional bachelor party by any means, but it seemed as though Nino was truly happy.

"I suppose this is better than a strip club," Matsumoto groaned as Aiba fed more coins into the machine at Nino's urging.

"The day is still young," Sho reminded him quietly. It was only about 5:00 PM. They had dinner reservations at 8:00 at a restaurant run by one of Aiba's friends in the cooking world, and Sho's belly was rumbling. He hadn't eaten since the crappy soba the night before with Nino. Sleeping in Keiko's bed had kept him from his breakfast making, but he hadn't much minded.

She'd been the first thing he'd laid eyes on in the morning, reminding him exactly why this trip to Okinawa had been worth it. The girls were going to an S&M club, Jun had informed him, and Sho was having a hard time stifling his jealousy. He didn't really know what went on in those places, but Keiko would be there, other people getting to ogle her. Jun had also mentioned something about them all going in costume, just adding fuel to Sho's irrationally jealous fire.

Around 6:00 they finally ditched the arcade, rounding up the other men and heading for one of Naha's city parks. Here, Aiba and Nino's combined celebrity had arranged for privacy, some floodlamps, and a baseball field. Though nobody was dressed for it, Nino was over the moon. They split into teams of four on four, Nino ensuring that all of Yuriko's friends (whose names Sho kept forgetting anyhow) formed one team and he, Aiba, Sho, and Jun formed another (it seemed that Jun was the only one of Yuriko's friends Nino liked, on account of Jun having once lent his voice to a video game - not to a loser though, Sho thought bitterly).

Sho had always been better at soccer, but it was fun to play a pick-up game in the evening, running the bases in his loafers instead of some traditional cleats. They all got filthy, calling the game in the fifth inning so they could grab taxis over to the restaurant. Aiba's restaurant owner friend turned out to be his younger brother, who didn't even look surprised to see eight guys stumble in covered in dirt from the baseball diamond.

The food was several steps above Nino's usual fare, but Aiba seemed to know his friend's tastes all too well, ensuring that one of Nino's favorite dishes, hamburger, came out for him while the others dined on steaks. After the long hours in the arcade and in the park, Sho was ravenous, eating his own portion and half of the guy's next to him (a total submissive even outside of the bedroom who could only eat what his mistress allowed - he'd had to call her up during the meal to get permission to eat it - it had made Sho's blood run cold.)

Dinner included round after round of drinks, Nino and Aiba arguing about where they were going next. Aiba kept trying to shove seasick pills at Nino, claiming they were going on a booze cruise that would take them up from Naha to a dock in Onna not far from their own resort. It had all been timed perfectly to return them right at dawn and had been paid for, but Nino was having none of it.

Finally Nino gave Aiba a shove. "You all take your booze cruise, and I'll take the bus back."

"It's your bachelor party!" Aiba slurred in protest. "This is all for you!"

"No boats!" Nino protested. "Taking bus!"

Sho, who'd slowed his own drink intake as the argument grew more heated, was pretty sure they didn't need a booze cruise. He sipped his water, trying to meet Nino's eyes. "I could take the bus back with you, Nino."

His friend's eyes lit up. "There, see. Sho-chan understands me..."

Aiba looked miserable. His arcade, baseball, and restaurant plans had all been solid, the poor guy. "I'm sorry..."

Nino shoved him again. "I'm happy, you idiot. Just take your cruise with my blessing."

"But without you..."

"Without me," Nino interrupted, "people will only puke because of drinking, not because of the ocean. I've done enough socializing."

The dinner ended on that strange note, Matsumoto wrapping an arm around a depressed Aiba's shoulder as they headed out into the night. "We'll see you later."

Nino waved before burying his hands in his pockets and starting off in the opposite direction. When the others had gone off to find the bus that would get them to the dock, Nino gave Sho a nudge. "You sure you don't want to go on the cruise?"

"It's fine..."

"You want to get back to her, don't you?" Sho didn't know what to say. He had no idea when the ladies were getting back from the club, but the thought of being there, waiting for Keiko at the hotel, had definitely motivated him. The thought of being on that boat until dawn, losing precious time with her...it didn't make sense. 

"It's okay," Nino said. "It's why I'm going back too."

They found the bus stop they needed, sitting side by side. Nino, as different and unique as his relationship was, genuinely loved Yuriko, and he was eager to be by her side. "You've never struck me as someone so...so..."

"Committed?" Nino asked with a laugh. "In love? You're right about that, Sho-chan."

"I didn't mean..."

Nino grinned. "A pervert like me, lazy and content to make porno games for the rest of his life? Yeah, I get it. I'm not the romantic stereotype. And there's Yuri, loud and weird and sometimes keeps me up until 4:00 in the morning asking me the dumbest questions about the universe and the meaning of life." Nino paused. "That's not a euphemism for kinky sex. She really does ask questions like that. It's not 24/7 whips and chains, you know. We have a life together, a real life."

Sho chuckled as the bus they needed came around the corner.

Nino linked arms with him. "I never thought I'd get married. And the last thing someone like me and Yuri need is a label. But I want to marry her. I want to see her name next to mine in the family register. She just gets me and puts up with my shit. Women like that are hard to find."

They boarded the bus, shuffling their way to the back. "How long was it before you knew?" Sho found himself asking, worrying about how quickly he was falling for Keiko. Was he confusing lust for her with genuine love? They barely knew each other. "How long before you knew she was the one?"

"Everyone's timeline is different," Nino admitted. "But for me, I knew by the end of our first date."

"You did?"

"Sometimes things just work," Nino said. "The universe aligns, and she's there, and you'd be a fool to doubt yourself. A fool to not just do something about it."

Sho got the feeling that Nino wasn't talking about himself as the bus headed away from the street lights and buildings of Naha.

\--

Keiko wobbled the slightest bit with every step she took. The bright red heels Kou had supplied had at least a 5-inch stiletto heel, and Keiko simply wasn't used to it. The drinks weren't helping.

It was indeed costume night at the Ripened Peach. While most folks attended the club in standard leather, latex, and other fetish garb, it looked more like a cosplay event. Yuriko, Kou, and their S&M scene friends were all in fetishized versions of Disney princess garb with Yuriko at the center in a blue Cinderella dress slit all the way up her leg to reveal both her clear stiletto "glass slipper" heels and fishnet stockings. Keiko was having a hard time deciding whether Yuriko was more cute or sexy - maybe she was just a combination of both. She was carrying a broom to complete the Cinderella guise, and Keiko had already seen her playfully smack willing participants with the handle.

Keiko clung to Rola-san's arm, the girl giggling her way through the place. Kou had given Rola a Sailor Moon costume to match Keiko's Sailor Mars, her hair in rather adorable pigtails. "Oh wow," Aiba's girlfriend kept saying, gesturing to the clubgoers. "Oh wow!"

The pair of them were both newbies, their right wrists each tied with a soft white scarf. In Ripened Peach house rules, this indicated their club virgin status - they were here to look and not be touched. If they wanted to play, Yuriko explained, they simply had to remove the scarves. For now, she and Rola were merely walking around the first floor of the club, exploring.

It wasn't dark and kinky like Keiko had expected. Sure there was the same thumping bass and smell of liquor in the air, but the place was well-lit and all play was consensual. The Ripened Peach was safe for women, most of the clientele vetted before being let in the door. Men couldn't come inside and start groping or hitting on women. Everything was discussed and limits agreed upon by both parties.

Sex acts in the club were off limits - this was only a playground for people to explore the lifestyle safely. But some were perfectly comfortable walking around with their breasts exposed, their asses bared. On the first floor there was a bar and a dance floor, and most of the play Keiko and Rola saw was female-dominated. To their left, a woman sat on a plush throne of a chair with a line of men and women both queued up for a chance to kiss her bare feet. To the right, she saw a submissive woman getting strapped down against a table with a handsome Dom in a Roman toga ready to flog her.

It stirred something forbidden within Keiko, and she could feel Rola's breathing grow heavier, her hand clinging to her tightly. All around them, people were expressing themselves, punishing or worshipping according to their preferences. And nobody seemed to mind them watching. The second floor offered more of the same, though some of the play was taking place between obvious couples. Up here, play was often interrupted with a long lingering kiss, a tug on nipple clamps.

"This is so naughty," Rola was whispering, none of the earlier cuteness in her voice now. She was turned on, her fingers squeezing Keiko's.

"Mm-hmm," Keiko responded, hurriedly looking away when a dominant male looked up from where he'd just handcuffed his submissive partner, offering her a sly wink.

"This is giving me so many ideas," Rola admitted.

"Maybe we should go back downstairs," Keiko said nervously, watching a woman paddling a man's bare backside and hearing him cry out in pleasure.

They found Yuriko had set up court on the main floor, the Disney girls all seated around her. There was a man on his knees before her, looking in ecstasy as he cradled one of her shoes in his hands, sniffing within it. "The Sailor Scouts are back!" Yuriko cheered, patting the empty seat beside her.

Rola let her go, heading over to the bar, her fingers tugging slightly at the scarf on her wrist. She seemed ready to start playing. Keiko kept hers on, licking her lips nervously as she sat at Yuriko's side. The man kissed Yuriko's "slipper" and put it gently, reverently back on her foot.

"Congratulations on your wedding, mistress. He's a lucky man," the man said kindly, rising to his feet and moving on. 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Yuriko leaned over to whisper in Keiko's ear. "Wasn't he a sweetheart? Feet, feet, feet, this club is full of men who love feet!" And then a new man arrived, ready to pay homage to the bride to be, kneeling down before Yuriko and begging her to punish him with the broom. She easily accepted and headed off with a smile.

Keiko was growing hot, the press of bodies, the smell of sweat and everything but sex getting to her. Kou seemed to sense her edginess, handing her a glass of water. "How are you holding up?" Kou asked, representing The Little Mermaid in a red wig, purple corset top, green mini-skirt, and little fishtails dotting up and down her nylons.

"It's...sexy," she found herself readily admitting. But even with all the bodies around, people of all shapes and sizes taking their pleasure, she felt a little hollow. A little lonely.

Kou stroked her fingers up and down Keiko's arm. "You'd play if he was here, wouldn't you?"

She didn't bother to deny it, nodding her head. With each couple she and Rola had seen, she couldn't help picturing Sho, kind-hearted and easy-laughing Sakurai Sho giving it all a try with her. 

"You've been surrounded by Dommes for a few days," Kou teased her. "You liking that?"

Keiko didn't know, she honestly didn't. It was obvious that Yuriko adored being worshipped, reveled in it, Kou and their friends too. But when she tried to picture herself delivering cracks of a riding crop, spanking someone with her bare hand, she grew worried, uncomfortable. But when she tried to picture it the other way, with Sho raising his hand and spanking her hard, she wasn't sure it would really be what she wanted. At least not all the time.

"A switch," Kou said. "I can see it, the way you watch everything. You can't choose. You'd be a total switch."

"I...I don't know what that means," she said, drinking more of her water.

"You like it both ways, the dominant side and the submissive side. The scene might not actually be for you as a lifestyle," Kou explained, "but in your personal life, you just do what feels right at the time. Am I mistaken?"

"Is there something wrong with me?" Keiko wondered, feeling Kou's arm slip around her shoulders. 

"Oh sweetheart, no, nothing's remotely wrong with you. We're so proud of you, coming here when you don't know a thing about it, trying your best. It's why Yuriko likes you. Dentsu wasn't the first agency she went to for Puppy Play, you know. But you were the first agency to listen to her. To be open-minded and accepting, you most of all Keiko-chan. So what if you don't go home and start buying up a bunch of floggers? You're you and you're beautiful and you like what you like."

She itched at the scarf on her wrist. "I do like it a little. Some of the um, the play."

"And that's fine. And normal," Kou assured her. "Believe me, it's a subculture for a reason. It's not for everybody." Kou patted her knee. "You look gorgeous, you can't sit here all night. Come on. Let's go rescue Rola-chan before she giggles her way into a collar."

Keiko smiled, letting Kou pull her up. It had been an interesting visit, but as they wandered the floor again, Keiko knew that she couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and find Sho-san. To get back to him and simply do what felt right.

\--

When the bus left them six miles from their resort (courtesy the GPS on Nino's phone), Sho wondered if the universe was out to get him. It was bad enough that they'd boarded the wrong bus - a "Local" instead of the "Express" that would have brought them right to their door in an hour. After nearly two hours winding through the island's smaller, sleepier villages, they'd been dropped at a depot at the end of the line.

They'd gotten out, the two of them and a sleepy fellow who'd been asleep ever since they boarded, only to discover they were not in Onna at all. The bus had already gone to the garage for the night, leaving them stranded. A few taxis were milling about, looking for business, but Nino was fuming mad - they were charging triple the rate to Onna on account of the late hour (and, Sho suspected, because they were guys and not pretty young women). If they'd been on the booze cruise with Aiba, Jun, and the others, they'd still be out to sea, floating leisurely up the coast with boat girls dancing and filling their cups.

Keiko and the girls had a limo and had probably already headed back for the hotel. He considered calling Keiko or paying for the cab himself, but Nino made him close his phone and put his wallet away. "We're supposed to be with Aiba," Nino gritted out. 

"We can at least tell them what happened," Sho protested. "They'll worry."

"It's shameful enough we abandoned my own bachelor party to go home and wait for the womenfolk like a couple of saps." Nino kicked a pebble across the road, his earlier sincerity on the bus wearing thin. "Look, Sho-chan, I don't want Yuriko to find out about my inability to ride a bus, alright?"

Sho frowned, still thinking that at least paying up for the taxi would solve their problem easily. Maybe they could even get the resort shuttle to pick them up. They weren't that far away really. Nino's thriftiness, along with his pride, were going to keep them out of a cab.

The guy beside them at the bus stop was on the short side, even shorter than Nino, with spiky brown hair and a tan visible under the streetlamp. He interrupted Nino's arguing, his voice soft and laid-back. "Where you guys going?"

"Kafuu Resort," Nino grumbled.

"I know where it is," the guy said, shrugging. "I fish up there all the time. I can get you there."

"How? In your invisible car?" Nino said rudely, but the guy didn't mind. He laughed, finding Nino funny in a way Sho certainly didn't.

"On foot. It's not that far, if you really don't feel like paying for a cab or whatever. I live up that way, so I was going to walk anyhow."

Six miles? Six miles in the darkness with this guy who could barely keep his eyes open? Sho opened his mouth to decline the offer when Nino linked arms with the man like they were already buddies. "Excellent, show us the way."

"Cheapskate," Sho mumbled. Nino was already off, telling the guy that he was going to save them a world of embarrassment. The three of them walked along the shoulder of the road, off into the darkness away from the bus depot.

Their escort, Ohno Satoshi-san, worked for a bait shop not far from their hotel. He'd been clubbing in Naha and like them, had been on his way home and taken the Local bus by mistake. Before they'd even walked a mile, Nino had invited Ohno to the wedding as thanks for his kindness. Sho rolled his eyes. Ohno happily accepted.

It was dark, and Sho tripped over rocks, stumbled into the guard rail along the road as they walked. Nino and Ohno were chatting like old friends about video games and the life of a bait shop employee. Sho didn't participate in the conversation, but at least now they were moving, though this Ohno could be a serial killer for all they knew.

Sho sighed, trudging after them and thinking about Keiko. He hoped that she wasn't waiting up for him. If they were technically supposed to be on Aiba's booze cruise, then she'd know not to expect him. But if she didn't know...

He itched to pull his phone from his pocket, send her a mail at the very least, but the light would definitely alert Nino, and Keiko would probably tell Yuriko. Besides, how was Nino going to explain the new guy who'd be sitting in the pews during the ceremony on Thursday, their "friend" from the bus? But like always, Sho let Nino's will lead them.

The minutes ticked by, the road moving along at kind of a steep incline. He could hear the un-athletic Nino complaining about it, Ohno murmuring words of encouragement. Sho's feet and shins hurt, his loafers a poor choice given the broken-in sneakers sitting back in his hotel room.

With the winding road and Nino's slowness, it was nearly 4:00 when they stumbled into the lobby. Ohno and Nino exchanged phone numbers and chatted. It seemed they were going to stay up and wait for the morning breakfast buffet to open. Sho, however, had had enough, heading straight for the elevators. Please don't be awake, he pleaded, please don't be awake.

\--

They'd gotten back around 2:00 in the morning, Keiko kicking off the red heels as soon as she hit the hotel lobby. While they'd driven back, Kou had received an odd message from her boyfriend. "Nino and Sho taking bus back to hotel - rest of us staying out."

Keiko had spent the whole limo ride worrying. Had something gone wrong? Had one of them gotten sick? Was Nino having cold feet about the wedding? Jun had apparently shut off his phone, and Kou had kept the news from Yuriko. The bride didn't need to be in the same state of mind Keiko now found herself in. She'd almost sent Sho a message, but if he and Nino were in the middle of a "guys' talk" or something she didn't dare interrupt.

She paced her own room for several minutes. They'd left Naha at the same time, so Sho would be back any minute. He could explain what had happened. But she didn't hear a peep from the other room. 

She was still on the awkward high from the Ripened Peach. Rola, who'd fallen in love with the kinky club, had spent the whole limo ride back talking openly about all the things she was planning to do to Aiba-san once they were together again, and the other women joined in eagerly, turning the conversation to nothing but sex talk and the benefits of tying up your man. Kou stayed quiet, giving Keiko's hand a squeeze. She really was like a protective older sister. It made sense why Yuriko adored her.

Keiko was in an odd state of mind - she was tired from the long night, worried about Sho and Nino, and at the same time, her baser instincts were telling her that she wanted to have sex. And that was the emotion that was winning out as she paced around, increasingly feeling like a tiger in a cage, her mind full of the imagery from the club, the people unashamed of their pleasure. She remembered Sho's arms around her, the taste of him. 

She took a deep breath and opened the adjoining door, finding his equally unlocked. She considered stripping down, waiting under the covers of his bed for him, but she was already invading his privacy by being in here without his knowledge. Much as she figured he'd like discovering her there, Keiko was still not bold enough to try it.

She considered sitting on his kitchen counter, offering a reminder of the previous night, but there were dirty dishes in the sink, the trademark of the bachelor male, and it would kill the mood. The balcony would be a little chilly, so she finally opted for his couch. She moved his laptop onto the coffee table along with several manila folders he'd strewn all over, hoping she wasn't ruining his organization.

Now she just had to wait. She started by sitting upright, hands on her knees, but that wasn't very sexy to come home to, she thought. She got up, sitting on the arm of the couch, throwing her hair over her shoulder. Hmm, awkward. She really wasn't used to this sort of thing. The minutes ticked by, and Keiko yawned. She got to her feet, shutting out the lights. She only meant to lie down on the couch for a minute...

...she woke to the feeling of fingers stroking her forehead, tangling in her hair. She was on her side on the couch, her knees curled up because she'd had no blanket and hadn't meant to fall asleep. Her eyes itched when she opened them, seeing a faint glow from a light Sho had turned on in the hall.

She smiled, still half asleep while he continued to let his fingers drift across her face. "Hi."

"Hi yourself." He was crouched down beside the couch, looking as tired as she felt.

"What happened? What time is it?"

He shook his head. "Tell you in the morning." He looked her over, raising an eyebrow. "New pajamas?"

She'd forgotten to take off her costume! "I...it was costume night. At the club."

"Hmm," he whispered. "I like it." 

She felt warm, knowing he was so close to her again. It had been such a long day without him. "I missed you," she admitted, hoping she didn't sound too pathetic.

But then he bent forward, kissing her on the nose. "Missed you too. Come on, let's get you up."

Instead of letting her get to her feet, he got an arm under her back and the other under her legs, picking her up. All the aggression from the club, the urgent need, seemed to fall by the wayside. She let him carry her into his room, setting her down on top of the covers. His hands were on her gloves, gently sliding them down her arms and tossing them on the floor.

"Should I change?" she asked.

He chuckled softly. "Don't you dare. It's not every night a man sleeps next to Sailor Moon."

"Sailor Mars," she corrected him, a yawn following her declaration. "And don't you forget it."

She shut her eyes again, hearing him slip out of his clothes and turn out the light. He pulled down the covers, and she felt the mattress shift. But he wasn't settling in behind her. He was fumbling around near her feet, his hands slowly moving up her legs, his fingers stroking up from her ankles to her knees. "Sho..."

"Mmm?"

"I thought we were sleeping?"

"We will soon enough. But I missed you."

"Oh?"

Then he moved a bit, finding her panties under her skirt and sliding them down. Her drowsiness was starting to lessen as she discovered just how much he'd missed her. Even though his voice sounded as tired as hers, he pushed her legs apart and brought his mouth to the inside of her thighs, kissing gently. Well, Keiko decided, this wasn't so bad.

While his mouth was occupied, his fingers stroked her, parted her. She sighed in contentment as he slipped a finger inside her, then another. She wanted to touch him, wanted to feel him move inside her again, but he didn't seem willing to rush this time, slipping his fingers in and out of her at a leisurely pace. He seemed perfectly content to do all the work. Just when she thought it couldn't get better, she felt his fingers leave her and he moved her legs up and over his shoulders, pushing the bottom of her sailor skirt up and out of the way. 

"This okay?" he murmured as she crossed her ankles.

"I...I think..." Before she could finish her answer, his mouth was on her. She cried out in surprise as his tongue found her clit and refused to stop. It had been the rare boyfriend indeed who'd been interested in this, and she'd always had to bring him off first if there would even be a chance of getting this in return. Sho, Keiko realized, seemed more concerned with pleasing her before himself. And she had no complaints. She did her best to keep her legs open, not wanting to bump or squeeze his head as the vivid sensations made her shake, her whole body alight with the thorough attention.

He even hummed a bit while he licked and sucked her, using his thumbs to spread her wide and expose as much of her to his mouth as he could. She'd never had it this good, and she let him know it, not bothering to muffle her cries and moans in his pillow. He licked attentively, swirling his tongue until she was just at the edge. He stopped, taking his mouth away and returning his fingers, stroking her with two and soon three, letting her come back down a little bit. His kisses against her thighs were sloppy and wet, probably his saliva mixed with her own taste, and she could hardly bear it.

"Maybe...maybe that's enough?" she murmured.

"I can do better," she heard him say, clearly running out of breath.

"Well...well, I..."

And then his mouth was back, bringing her up, up, up again in seconds. It was too much, it was not enough, his fingers still working inside her at the same time. She was breathing hard, panting, knowing it wouldn't take much more. He grew more aggressive, slipping his fingers out of her and sliding his hands under her bottom, lifting her just the slightest bit to bring her closer to his hot mouth. And that was it, she was gone, barely comprehending anything but how good he made her feel as she came. 

She felt his hands on her legs, trembling as he moved them back down. Her body was still shaking as he came up behind her, chuckling in a rather arrogant, triumphant way as he settled in. She turned onto her side, letting him spoon up behind her. "I missed you," he told her again, his arm around her tight. 

She smiled, not really minding that she was falling asleep in cosplay.


	6. Chapter 6

His jaw popped a little when he woke up, and he grinned. It had been worth it. He'd gotten home exhausted, ready to collapse only to find she'd stolen into his room and fallen asleep on his couch. 

Unlike the previous morning, he wasn't woken in a hurry. Sleeping in bed alone, he usually tossed and turned, abusing his pillows and sometimes waking at the foot of the bed turned the opposite way. Today he woke on his back, his arm completely asleep underneath Keiko's neck. She was curled up against him in that silly, sexy Sailor Moon (Mars, he reminded himself) costume, one of her long, shapely legs flung over him, her foot dangerously close to his crotch.

It was an enviable position, waking with the perfect girl in his bed. Her presence had healing properties, Sho was convinced. The bizarre bachelor party, the horrible walk to the hotel in the dead of night - all he'd needed was the sound of her breath catching, the noises she made while he went down on her. Even his feet didn't feel so bad.

He didn't move a muscle, feeling her stir a few minutes later. "Good morning," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She sounded rather pleased, letting out a gentle sigh. "Am I still in this stupid costume?"

"If I had my way, you'd wear it to the wedding."

She jabbed him in the side with her finger, making him groan. She sat up, adjusting the rumpled bow on the front of the costume. "I think Kou-san probably wants it back."

Sho was struck with the urge to go ask Shibasaki-san how much it cost, but he held his tongue. They stretched, and he sat up too. He turned his head, seeing her sitting beside him, simply enjoying the sight of her so close. Like she was meant to be there. "I need to tell you something."

She looked at him with big, innocent eyes. "And what's that?"

He reached his hand over, taking hers. "If I don't bring it up, I'm sure Yuriko-san will. And I wanted to be the one to tell you. On Saturday," he started, realizing just how long ago Saturday felt, even if it had only been a few days, "when we were at the airport and Yuriko called me."

"About Aiba-san meeting us?"

"Do you want to know how I found you?"

She tilted her head, confused, obviously remembering how creepy he'd probably looked skulking around the gate. "How?"

He blushed, looking down at the blankets but squeezing her hand tighter. "I thought it was ridiculous, but over the past few days it's been on and off ridiculous with people like Yuriko around. Anyway, she didn't give me your name. And she didn't tell me what you looked like. She just told me I had to find the most beautiful woman sitting at the gate."

Keiko seemed to freeze up a bit, embarrassed. "Well," she stuttered, "you were looking around for a while, huh? Must have been dumb luck..."

"Keiko," he said, "you were the first and last person I spoke to at that gate. I found you. First try."

She licked her lips. "Why are you telling me this?"

He didn't know why. He really didn't. But he'd woken with her in his arms, wanting to know anything and everything he could about her. And he didn't care how long it took. "I guess I don't want you to think that this ends on Saturday when we fly home. I don't know what the future holds, and I don't want to go overboard about it, but I want to see you. In Tokyo. Whenever you'll let me." He paused. "That is, if you want to, obviously."

She knocked him back against the pillows, laughing cheerfully as she climbed on top of him. She grabbed hold of his hands, pinning them back behind his head and nuzzling against his neck. 

"So that's a yes?" he asked before yelping suddenly as her teeth nipped at his ear.

At some point during the previous day she'd slipped condoms into the drawer of his bedside table, and without hesitating or changing venue they made love, him getting off quicker than he'd have liked. But it was difficult when she was on top of him, her long hair falling in a curtain around them, her body clenching around him as she came with his name on her lips.

He didn't let her go after, the two of them slowly making their way to his bathroom. She held her hair aside as he slowly unzipped the costume from her neck to the base of her spine, reveling in her body as she stepped out of it and opened the shower door. They laughed as they both tried to fit into the glass stall designed for one, Sho stubbing his toe and Keiko knocking the shampoo pump bottle down with her elbow. 

It was a lot less dangerous than being in that dark pool at least, the water cascading down around them as he kissed her, turned her around so he could stand behind her and simply hold her as the spray steamed up the glass. When was the last time Sho had been this happy? This relaxed?

One cramped, silly shower later, they dressed for the day in their respective rooms. The rehearsal and dinner were that night, but since they weren't in the wedding party, they didn't have to attend. They could finally spend the day together on their own terms and without interruptions. The garden, the hike and picnic. It was back on, and the Okinawa weather was ready for them.

It was finally time for Sho to try the breakfast buffet, and it was minutes before closing as they hurried through with their plates, Keiko shoving an extra croissant onto his plate with a laugh.

They found Ohno-san still sitting with Nino, four hours after the breakfast had opened. He saw some of the other wedding guests scattered around the room, looking hungover and miserable. Sho was about to turn them around, find another table before Nino spied them out of the corner of his eye.

Nino grinned, moving aside so the seat in the booth beside him was free. "Keiko-chan, please." He gave Sho a knowing look as he sat down beside Ohno.

"Hello," Ohno said cheerfully, spraying toast crumbs from his mouth, already one of the gang.

"Keiko-chan," Nino started, picking up a thin slice of bacon and smiling. "Let me tell you every embarrassing thing there is to know about my friend, Sakurai Sho."

\--

She trampled through the woods, the mud still squishy after the rain a few days earlier. She could hear Sho behind her, narrating. Apparently his hobby was videotaping his vacations - it had just been so long since he'd taken one that he'd insisted on filming everything thus far. He'd even had her hold the camera and film the drive, the pair of them borrowing Aiba's convertible yet again because of his splitting headache from the "booze cruise" Sho had skipped.

Keiko was kind of glad Sho had accompanied his friend back from Naha, if only because a hungover Sho would not have made the day they were having possible. Nino had kept them in the hotel dining room for a good hour, introducing the strange, tanned Ohno-san - and could Ohno-san possibly camp out in Sho or Keiko's room? Surely they didn't need separate rooms now...

Sho had tried to be chivalrous, had declined, but Keiko had simply smiled and offered her room, no questions asked (provided she was able to clean up and move her things first). The look on Sho's face - shock, amazement, happiness all in one - had confirmed that she'd made the right decision. Once that had been settled, she and Sho had hit the road, spending a few hours looking at the gorgeous plants and flowers of the tropical park.

After that they'd picked up some bento lunches from a roadside diner, sitting on the hood of the convertible they'd parked by a scenic overlook. Now they were deep into the forest, en route to the waterfall. Even with the mud splattering her sneakers, catching her shins, she didn't mind. 

He'd all but confessed to her that morning, in a tentative, sweet way that had let Keiko know he was fine with whatever she decided. And what she decided was that they were going to make it work. She had her busy job? Well, he had his too. The way he made her feel, the way he loved her body, and the way he'd respected her from day one...there was no way she could let Yuriko's hard work at matchmaking go to waste.

"Kitagawa, the intrepid explorer, has seen the jungles of Brazil, of the Congo...but none hold the promise of these ancient trees here in Okinawa," Sho narrated in an obnoxious, travel documentary-style accent.

"Intrepid explorer?" she asked, sidestepping a rock and trying her best to stay on the path because of all the signs warning about snakes. "I'm no such thing."

"Humble," Sho continued, "as well as intelligent and beautiful, we see Kitagawa lead the way despite the treacherous environs!"

She turned, crossing her arms. "You must be quiet, Sakurai," she said, taking on a snooty tone. "Legend tells of an ancient evil lurking among these trees, drawn to the voice of a good-looking man."

"Well," he said, smiling as he pointed the camera at her. "I hope you will protect me."

He mercifully gave up on his silly narration when they arrived at the falls, filming everything with little bursts of "amazing!" and "awesome!" She leaned back against a tree, taking in the sights and watching him scurry back and forth like an excited kid.

She slipped her phone from her pocket. "Put the video camera down, I want a normal picture."

He chuckled, holding out his hand for the phone. "Alright, I can take a normal one..."

"I want you in the picture," she said, holding the phone insistently. "I want to remember us here. Together."

"Oh," Sho said, sounding surprised even now after all they'd been through. "Of course."

They stood in front of the falls, and she could feel the spray faintly against her back. She held the phone up, hoping they were both in the shot. "Cheese!"

She took a look at it, seeing that Sho had crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. "Oh, thanks a lot," she grumbled, holding the phone up again. "Do it properly! Here, I'll even give you a countdown. Five...four...three...two..."

His hand found her cheek, tilting her face sideways, and their lips met just as her finger pressed down on the button. She jumped back in shock, seeing the wicked grin on his face that she was starting to love. "There," he said. "How's that for proper?"

She bit her lip to hold in a laugh, turning the camera towards her. It was perfectly framed, his hand just tilting her chin up, his lips millimeters away from her own, her eyes closed. Romantic, something that would usually make her gag if her friends ever showed her shots like that on their own phones. "I can't share either of these with my mother," she said shyly, shutting her phone and putting it back in her pocket.

He had the video camera on again, checking his watch. "Kitagawa must lamentably return from her forest trek, as the paths are closed at sunset."

She rolled her eyes. The voice was back, so was the camera. They headed for the car, trudging back along the path. They'd brought some hotel towels and extra shoes with them, and she was grateful to change out of them and wipe the mud from her legs, putting everything in a bag and shoving it in the trunk.

"You know," she said, itching at a mosquito bite on the inside of her elbow, a reward from the day. "I think we've driven this car more than Aiba-san has."

Sho pulled out of the parking lot, a lot more at ease than he had been on the day of the aquarium visit. "I think you're right."

They fell into a companionable silence, heading south for the resort. They'd set the GPS to use the backroads, enjoying the more winding, scenic route back. She watched Sho drive, confused to see him moving his lips, then stopping, then starting again. What was he trying to say?

"Sho-kun?"

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I was just thinking. I haven't asked you about last night. About the club. Did you...have a nice time?"

"It was different. If you're into exhibitionism and, um, spanking." She smiled to herself. "Or feet, I suppose."

"Did you participate?" he asked, his voice noticeably higher, more nervous.

"No."

"...did you want to, you know, try it?"

"Maybe."

"With the people there?"

She grinned, giving him a coy look before replying with a simple "No."

"With someone else?"

"Yes."

His hands were almost shaking. "With...me?"

"Yes."

They continued driving, Keiko knowing that Sho's interest was rising, but if they stuck to the route they were on, it would be at least another forty-five minutes to an hour before they made it to the privacy of the hotel. 

"Maybe we should pull over," he said, scratching his face hesitantly.

"Oh? Why?" she teased him deliberately.

"Because if we don't I'm probably going to wrap this car around a tree, and I don't think Aiba would be very forgiving about it."

They found a turn-off, what seemed to be a private road nestled among the trees. Sho was increasingly antsy as they moved forward, further and further from the main road. The sun would be setting soon, but it was even darker here under the forest canopy. Sho turned off the car, letting his hands fall to his lap.

"Tell me more about this club, if you don't mind."

She slouched down in her seat, slipping out of her sandals. "Hmm, but the birds might hear."

"Kei-kooooo," he said then, sounding like she was driving him crazy.

"So it's bad to crash Aiba's car," she said, surprised by how calm she sounded despite the obvious way this conversation was heading. "But it's fine to have sex in it?"

"Towels," Sho mumbled. "Still towels in the trunk. He'd never know."

They were outside in the open air, neither of them sure how isolated they really were, driving in a car that wasn't theirs. It was everything the Keiko of a week ago would have probably thought was way too risky. 

But that was the Keiko of a week ago. "Get a towel then."

He had the door open before she was even finished, folding down the driver's seat and hurrying to open the trunk. He returned quickly, spreading one of the white towels on the backseat, where just days earlier they'd sat together on the drive from the airport. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, and he sat down a little awkwardly in the middle of the seat, unzipping his jeans and sliding them down his hips to rest at his knees.

She made quick work of her shorts, unbuttoning them and sliding them down her legs. Saying a prayer for the gods of driving to keep anyone from turning down their road, she slid off her panties too, leaving her clothes on top of the dashboard. She climbed into the backseat, naked from the waist down and settled on top of him, a leg on either side of his thighs.

"Now," she said, resting her arms casually around his neck. "What do you want to know about the club?"

"Everything," he replied.

So she sat there, feeling him grow unbelievably hard beneath her as she explained the night at the Ripened Peach - the scarf she'd kept tight around her wrist, the way she'd seen eyes looking her up and down in appreciation, the way watching everything made her both confused and hot at the same time. "Keep talking," he murmured, tugging on her shirt until she lifted it up and over her head. She arched her back, feeling his thumbs rub her nipples through the fabric of her bra.

Talking about it brought the sights, the sounds of the club back to her mind, and she shut her eyes, Sho holding her firmly atop him, his hot mouth everywhere against her bare skin. She told him about the people getting whipped, flogged, spanked. How she couldn't decide if she wanted to do it or have it done to her. He found her hand, bringing it between them to his erection.

He arched into her palm with a moan, his voice lost somewhere between her collarbone and cleavage. The head of his cock was already slick, and she continued to talk, her voice getting lower and softer as she stroked him up and down. 

She leaned in close, right next to his ear. "If you'd been there, I suppose I would have tried anything."

He groaned, fumbling around a bit to find a condom he'd taken out of his jeans pocket (having clearly planned for something on their outing today). She took it from him, rolling it onto him. Their eyes met, and Keiko knew that they had to get going now before somebody caught them...or they got too many bug bites.

She moved, sighing as he easily slipped inside her. He surprised her by not moving, instead holding her face in his hands and kissing her gently, his fingers twisting through her hair. "This is just about the dirtiest thing I've ever done," he admitted, groaning a bit as she adjusted on top of him, taking him deeper inside her.

"Good," she replied.

He held her close, letting her set the pace as she moved on top of him. She couldn't help smiling, watching him as he watched her, knowing that the lust in his eyes had to match her own. She started out slow, wanting to enjoy the feeling, but her own curiosity and need got the best of her. She'd spent too long talking about the Ripened Peach.

"Order me around," she said, stroking his cheek. "Do what you want to me."

"Aren't you on top right now?"

"Do I have to ask you again? I'll tell you to stop if I can't handle it."

His wicked smile was back. "Alright. Then I'm going to spank you."

"Don't tell me," she said, heat building between them as she rode him a bit harder. "Just do it."

The crack of his palm against her ass had to have been heard somewhere, and she cried out - not in pain, but in desire for him to do it again. Seeing her reaction made him smile all the more, and he did it again. And again until she nearly collapsed against him, laughing and happy. 

"Take off your bra." Without slowing her pace, she reached behind her back and undid the clasp, obeying. "Touch them." He held her steady and she moved her hands from his shoulders, stroking her own breasts, twisting her own nipples between her fingers. 

"Now," he said, sounding like he was going to lose it any minute, seeming to be choosing his next orders carefully. "Touch your clit while I fuck you." Moving one hand back to his shoulder, she moved her fingers between her legs, finding herself warm and wet to the touch. Instead of Keiko moving on her own, Sho was arching up off the seat, filling her forcefully. Polite Sho was gone, raw need visible in his face as she tried to follow his commands to the letter. 

She could sense her orgasm coming, her fingers working furiously because he wanted her to and, she discovered, because she liked having a part in her own pleasure. "Wait," he whispered. "I'll give you a countdown." The bastard, recalling her picture-taking in the forest.

"Five," he whispered, slipping his hands under her bottom to draw her even closer.

"Four." Her legs trembled, and she seemed to forget that they were outside, easily caught.

"Three." His voice unsteady, she knew he wasn't going to make it...

"Two." It hit, and she cried out, feeling herself contract around him. 

He didn't make it to one.

\--

Sho was surprised they even made it to the ceremony the following day. He'd never gotten so close or so comfortable with anyone in his life, and if he could, he'd stay in bed with Keiko as long as he could. They'd been fairly exhausted upon returning to the hotel last night, had both woken with a little less bliss than they had the previous day. That, of course, was thanks to the nasty red mosquito bites dotting Sho's arms and legs, although Keiko had gotten the worst of it.

Even now at the reception, looking so lovely and serene beside him at the table with her hair knotted up and her violet strapless dress, he could spy her slipping her hand under the tablecloth as the catering staff brought plates around. To anyone else, it might have looked like Miss Kitagawa Keiko was up to no good, which made Sho grin. Only he knew her secret. There was a nasty bite at the top of her thigh, a sore spot that no amount of aloe vera lotion and Sho's rubbing fingers had been able to help thus far. Although Sho had been all too happy to volunteer with the lotion bottle over the course of the day.

Sho didn't know much about wedding ceremonies. He'd attended his fair share, but he usually tuned out, got lost in his own selfish wishes and worries as the bride and groom made their pledges to one another. But seeing Nino up there with the burnt orange sunset skies and ocean waves just outside the chapel window, holding Yuriko's hands so gently as he said his vows, promising "never to piss you off more than necessary," Sho knew he'd never attend one like this again. And he'd never forget it.

Many of the women had cried, even dominatrix Shibasaki had had tears streaking down her cheeks as the waves hit the shore and the minister held back a snort at some of the odd promises Nino and Yuriko made to each other. Keiko had not cried. The poor thing had bitten her lip and squeezed his hand, simply to keep herself from scratching her itchy legs.

But the more laid-back reception brought her itching back in full force, and Sho caught Ohno-san (placed with them at the obvious 'singles' table) staring with amusement in his eyes. His mouth seemed to linger on chewing a piece of shrimp, his gaze tracking lower as Keiko's hand moved desperately under the tablecloth. Sho came to her rescue with a rather impolite elbow to her arm.

She looked up, catching Ohno's eyes. And where any other woman Sho knew would probably have gone red in the face or cussed Ohno out for being a creep, Keiko smiled at him. "Mosquito bite," she explained calmly.

"Ah," Nino's newest friend replied. "Those are the worst, huh?"

Eventually the dinner plates were cleared, the cake and desserts brought around, and it was time for a few speeches. Kou-san went first, bringing the room to near hysterics as she explained Yuriko's first night at the Snake and Earring Club, an outright disaster where Yuriko had apparently tried (and failed) to tie someone up, landing them in the hospital with rope burns. "But," Kou explained, "I taught her everything she knows. So Ninomiya, I'd say you owe me some back pay."

The mood shifted after that as Kou handed the microphone over to Aiba-san. Where Sho had grown accustomed to weddings full of tearful, emotional women, Aiba was already crying as he shakily pulled out some notecards from the pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

"You are the worst best man ever," Nino complained jokingly, trying to swat Aiba in the ass. "What are _you_ crying for?"

"I just...I just...I love you, you're my best friend!" Aiba spluttered out, probably coating the microphone with snot as everyone laughed. Sho had to wonder how the simple, kind guy at the head table was the same person who cooked on TV and charmed his audience with all his cool, model-like smiles. Aiba stumbled through a rather rambling speech about him and Nino growing up relatively poor, how they'd rode the train to school together every day, how they'd both beaten the odds. 

Aiba didn't even get a chance to finish, Nino springing out of his seat to wrap his friend in a hug that had the room clapping and crying. Sho noticed that even Ohno-san was sniffling at their table in between bites of dessert.

"Enough crying!" Yuriko finally protested, getting to her feet and smiling, wiping tears from her eyes. "The only crying I want to hear is from the losers who don't manage to get their hands on this!" She held up her bouquet, wiggling it enticingly. "On your feet, ladies, this isn't a rehearsal!"

"Kick their asses, Keiko-san!" Ohno cheered her, and Sho watched her look slightly embarrassed. The other single women got out of their chairs and headed for the dance floor while the DJ started up with some anticipation-building music.

She looked up, meeting Sho's eyes. They'd only known each other a few days. It was ridiculous to think of her catching the bouquet actually meaning anything. It was just a silly tradition. But if he was thinking it, so was she, and they were frozen.

Mercifully, Rola-san intervened, rushing over to their table. "Keiko-chan, come on!" she said, grabbing Keiko roughly by the arm and yanking her to her feet. "I need your help. Elbow some of these girls for me, okay?"

Sho couldn't help but chuckle, watching Rola drag Keiko off to the floor. The music continued to build, and he watched the women huddle together, eager for the flowers to find their way into their hands. It seemed like there were several wannabe brides in attendance as Yuriko left the head table and started doing a few practice swings with her bouquet.

Sho just sat back, watching Keiko's face grow more and more confused as Rola tried to get them into an advantageous position on the dance floor. Ohno moved out of his seat, right into the one at Sho's side. "Nino was telling me that you and Keiko-san have just met this week."

"Right," Sho said, distracted by the commotion on the dance floor.

"He said you were both, you know, not the impulsive type," Ohno continued, helping himself to a stray cookie on Sho's dessert plate.

"We're not."

"So why do you want her to catch it so badly?" Ohno asked plainly, teeth crunching down on the cookie.

Sho turned abruptly, seeing the fisherman looking at him curiously. It all flashed before Sho in an instant, the thought of one day standing where Nino and Yuriko had stood. Pulling up the wedding veil and finding Keiko's face beneath it. He remembered speaking with Nino on the bus.

_The universe aligns, and she's there, and you'd be a fool to doubt yourself._

"Well?" Ohno asked, crumbs shooting out of his mouth and onto Sho's suit jacket.

_A fool to not just do something about it._

Sho got to his feet, his chair falling back with a noisy thud. "Keiko!"

Most eyes in the room turned to him in surprise. Rola alone ignored Sho's outburst, still trying to tug Keiko into place. But Keiko looked at him, her face pale and confused.

Sho turned scarlet. "Uh, good luck!"

She smiled, giving him a thumbs up. "Thanks!"

The music cut off, and Yuriko took command of the room once more. "Okay, this is some serious bouquet business right now." She turned, putting her back to the women behind her as she readied the flowers. "Here they come!"

\--

Yuriko smiled as she went through the hefty report Keiko had brought her. "This is amazing," she said, flipping through the pages. "You put a lot of work into this."

Keiko shrugged. "I wanted to be thorough." The report, filled with examples and potential places to expand the Puppy Play audience, had kept Keiko running on about three hours of sleep a night for the past week she'd been back home in Tokyo.

Yuriko and Nino had only just returned from their honeymoon in Bali. Newlywed life was already serving Keiko's client well. Yuriko looked relaxed, refreshed, happier than ever. The wedding band and her engagement ring sparkled on her left hand as she set Keiko's work down on her desk.

"You've done so much for Puppy Play in so short a time," Yuriko said. "Are you taking time for yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuriko sighed, leaning back in her chair. "When I first saw you in Okinawa, that first night at dinner you were shy, quiet, and sad..."

"I wasn't..." Yuriko raised an eyebrow, but Keiko pressed on. "I wasn't sad, not really."

"You were just a buzzing little worker bee. But when I left a week later," Yuriko continued, "you'd changed, so beautifully. I thought I'd worked a miracle. Everything about you just relaxed, all the tension seemed to fall off you. I wasn't wrong, was I? It wasn't just the tropical setting, all my meddling, it wasn't a fluke, was it? Everything with Sho-kun?"

Keiko looked down. When she and Sho had parted on Saturday at Haneda, they'd exchanged numbers. They both had a lot of work waiting after a week away, so they'd mutually agreed to give one another space until they caught up. Until they were ready to move forward. They hadn't so much as sent one another a mail in that week, both returning to the anonymity and restlessness of Tokyo. It had almost been too easy to settle back in to life with Jack in her small apartment, sitting in front of her laptop with her glasses perched on her nose as she worked.

It had been the longest week of Keiko's life.

"We've been working. Busy."

Yuriko shook her head. "I should have cheated, let you catch the bouquet..."

"But Rola-san..."

Yuriko laughed. "Oh never mind, you're still as stubborn as ever. All I'm saying is I don't want you working yourself to death trying to sell dog collars for humans! Sho-kun's working himself to death selling rocking chairs. And you're both adorable people for being that way. But there's more to life than giving all of yourself to your work, isn't there? Keiko, you give me 200%, and that's what the people recommending you to my account told me. But they're just dog collars, in the end. They don't need your complete and utter devotion. I'd be happy with your 100%, Keiko. Save the other 100% for you. For what you want and what makes you happy, whoever or whatever that is."

It was rather odd to get lectured by someone a few years younger, but she was right, in a way. Yuriko bringing her to Okinawa wasn't just for her to meet Sho, to find someone who fit her perfectly. It was the beauty of discovery itself, taking a break from her scheduled, structured life and figuring out what her own "perfect" actually was. Yuriko hadn't wanted to be a simple matchmaker - she'd wanted Keiko to discover what truly made her happy.

"You're lost in your head again," Yuriko interrupted. "Thinking too much. The both of you are so...so cerebral."

Keiko grinned. "I am who I am."

"And that's why this meeting is over for today," Yuriko said, standing up. "I forbid you to do any work on this account for the rest of the day, is that clear?"

"If you say so..."

She watched Yuriko scribble down an address on a notepad. "Go here, 7th floor."

"The StimInc building?"

"Thanks for all your hard work today. Now get out of here." Yuriko smiled. "Go, I said."

Keiko clutched the address in her hand and her purse in the other, the subway howling through the tunnels under the city as she headed back for Shimbashi. All this time he'd been working a block away. Could she even get in to see him? Would he be in the middle of something? Would he mind her interruption? It was only 2:00 in the afternoon. Well, Keiko decided. He'd just have to make an exception.

She got off the train, feeling nervous. She couldn't call it love. Not yet. But she could call it potential happiness. Or just happiness, full stop.

Nino found her in the lobby, dressed in jeans that had seen better days and a t-shirt for the Ripened Peach club in Okinawa. He smiled at the sight of her, immediately catching her by the arm and gently pulling her away from the security desk. "My guest," he told the security staff, and they nodded immediately.

"Ninomiya-san," she said, trying to put on a casual air.

"Kitagawa-san," Nino replied, escorting her to the elevator. She watched him pull an ID swipe card from his pocket, holding it against a sensor and pressing '7' as the doors closed. "Need this to get anywhere around here. Security's important. Don't want any rocking chairs walking away, right?"

"Thank you," she murmured, slightly embarrassed.

"This'll be better, I think," Nino said. Keiko suspected that Yuriko had called him, told him to expect her. "He would have had to come down and get you, and there goes your fun surprise."

The elevator pinged at the seventh floor, and the doors opened, revealing a short corridor and a set of glass doors emblazoned with 'Okada & Morita Design.'

"See you around," Nino said with a wink as the doors closed. The receptionist had seen her getting out of the elevator, had seen Nino inside with her, and greeted her warmly as she entered.

"Sakurai Sho, please?"

The receptionist pointed her in the right direction. The floor plan was relatively open. Sho had explained that the sixth floor was heavily soundproofed, mostly serving as a work area for the owners who then shipped pieces off to an off-site warehouse. The seventh floor where Sho worked was full of furniture examples, honeycomb-style cubicles, and small offices, full of salespeople and account managers. Sho, as lead accountant, had an office in the rear of the floor near his friend's, the owner.

The office walls facing cubicle-land were glass, and she saw a few people watching as she walked past on her way to the other end of the floor. She found the nameplate for Sakurai, smiling as she saw him through the glass for the first time in a week. His office wasn't very large, but it suited him. Like his hotel room had been, his desk was covered in paper, his bookshelves full of account ledgers because he refused to put his complete faith in computer files.

Even though he faced away from the window, he was engrossed in his computer screen, his fingers moving briskly across his keyboard. Her heart caught, watching him work, seeing him so serious. She was interrupting. Old Keiko would never interrupt. Old Keiko would never have even shown up without telling him.

"You'd have to fire a cannon next to him to distract him from that computer," said a voice at her side. She jumped a bit, seeing a shorter man with rather intense eyes but a kind of absent-minded smile had approached without her noticing. He had bits of sawdust in his hair. "Okada Junichi, my name's on the front door."

His boss! Keiko made to apologize, but he shook his head and chuckled. "Come here, with me. I'll bring him for you."

She obediently followed the man away from Sho's office door and to a small conference room at the end of the floor. This one, Keiko noticed, did not have glass walls. She decided to be blunt. "Let me guess," she said. "Ninomiya-san's doing?"

His face gave nothing away. He only brought his finger to his lips and closed the door, leaving her inside.

\--

Mizuhara had been ambitious while Sho had been gone, signing on two new clients and pushing through the paperwork. He was double checking her numbers when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard the door open.

Okada, just up from his workshop if his dusty clothes were anything to go on. "Got someone in the conference room," he said.

"Client?" Sho mumbled, thinking through the day's calendar. Nobody was due in.

"Potential dining room set," his boss explained, turning Sho's chair. "But she wants the best. Only the best. And I was explaining that we'll give her the best our accountant allows, so I want you to say right to her face what she can and can't have."

Sho was tugged out of his seat. "Hold on, wait wait wait..."

"You're the one going on and on about saving money," Okada continued, dragging him out of his office. "So Go and I have been thinking that maybe you should be there to explain our...limitations."

"Is she famous? Oh god," Sho babbled. He was going to lose them business! "We can come up with the money, I'm just trying to keep us afloat. Wait, seriously, this isn't funny, I can't tell someone famous that we won't..."

His boss abruptly opened the conference room door, and Sho saw her. "So," Okada said, "I'll leave you to it." He pointed down. "And that's the lock."

And with that the door was shut behind them. Keiko was there, standing a little awkwardly next to the conference table. Her hair was pulled back, and she was in a business suit and pumps, looking every ounce the professional. She was here. She was here for _him_.

Sho spoke first, immediately wishing he hadn't. "How are your mosquito bites?"

She shifted her bag from hand to hand. "Ah, they've healed. No more itching."

"That's good," Sho said.

She took a step forward, then another. "Yuriko told me to stop working for today. She sent me over here."

"Did she?" He found himself easing up a bit, seeing her bright eyes again after such a long, boring week. He couldn't stop looking at her, couldn't help falling all over again. "Keiko..."

"Mmm?" She was in arm's reach now, setting her purse down on one of the chairs and leaning back against the conference table. He moved to her side, leaning back as well.

"I've spent this whole week wanting to call you, hear your voice. But I didn't want to interrupt. Since, you know, we agreed to..."

She suddenly exhaled. "That was such a dumb agreement."

He turned, finding her smiling at him, and he couldn't hold back. One week had seemed like years, and he was finally able to cup her cheek once more and kiss her. He took it slow, kissing her like he had the very first time, tasting the sugary sweetness of her lip gloss. Hopefully the lights wouldn't go out this time.

She hadn't caught the bouquet Yuriko had tossed, but Sho had spent the rest of the time in Okinawa, the flight home, and this long, work-filled week thinking of how pointless it would be to move forward without her by his side. There was still so much he wanted to know about her. A week wasn't enough time. He had to learn what she liked and what she didn't, where they'd clash and where they'd get along. 

He'd almost called her as soon as they'd gotten in separate cabs at Haneda, but he'd let her go. He'd given her time. Now, feeling her soft skin under his fingers, her lips parting to deepen their kiss, he decided he'd already wasted enough time. "What are the words women want to hear?" he asked, leaning his forehead against hers. "You know, these days?"

"The words?" she asked, confused.

He kissed the side of her mouth, her cheek. "Like do I say, go out with me? Or let's get together? Or be my girlfriend? I haven't done this in a while, so I want to say the right thing..."

She found his hand, giving it a squeeze. "How about we skip that part and I just say yes?"

"I knew there was a reason why I liked you."

Even though his boss had been bold enough to point out the lock on the door, Sho didn't mess around on work time. Which was why he decided work time was over, at least for today. She grabbed her bag, and he grabbed her other hand, pulling her out of the conference room. His office door already had a sign pasted to it, "GO HOME!!!", courtesy his boss.

Leaving his computer the way it was, he simply grabbed his briefcase and keys, slamming the door behind him and taking Keiko's hand again. He heard whispers and even a few encouraging whistles from the cubicles as he walked past and out the door, but he didn't care.

When they were in the StimInc lobby he looked around, gesturing wildly. "Where do you want to go?"

Keiko got up on her tiptoes, fingers snaring in his hair as she pulled him down to her mouth. When she let him go, she smiled. 

"Everywhere."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kitagawa Keiko's cat in real life is named Jill - in the AU-niverse, I've named him Jack :)
> 
> I owe a debt of gratitude to the following sites:
> 
> [Kitagawa Keiko's Writings](http://kitagawa-keiko.org/). An English translation of Keiko's blog - one night instead of writing I think I read two years of Keiko's life in blog entries. So whether I've characterized her properly or not, I did kind of fall in love with her. 
> 
> [Kafuu Resort Fuchaku Condo Hotel](http://www.kafuu-okinawa.jp/en/). This is where they were staying, but I changed some details to suit my nefarious purposes!
> 
> [Okinawa Chapel List](http://www.okinawastory.jp/en/okinawaresortwedding/chapel/). Includes the Ao-no-Chapel at the Kafuu Resort, but I mostly used this to get some good wedding chapel visuals for Okinawa. Ugh!! Who wants to get married in Okinawa? Let's go!


End file.
